


Family Ties

by Caslocked



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angel Siblings, Archangels, Destiel - Freeform, Heaven, M/M, Romance, Slow Build Castiel/Dean Winchester, Young Castiel, Young Winchesters, creation story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-17
Updated: 2014-08-05
Packaged: 2018-01-25 09:55:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 41,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1644593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caslocked/pseuds/Caslocked
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A new angel is created in Heaven, named Castiel. Later, another angel in Heaven falls, named Lucifer. Years after Lucifer's fall, Castiel rescues Dean from Hell, piecing the hunter back together bit by bit. He joins him, Sam, and Bobby to stop the seals from breaking, an ally becoming a friend, and a friend becoming something more. Slow build.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fan fiction, so please be kind with reviews. The best criticism is constructive, so advice is always helpful. Hoping for this to be a long story, that's how I see it in my head at least. Dean does not come in for a couple chapters if not more so have patience, and hopefully you like slow builds because those are certainly my favourites.

It was beautiful.

Many had tried to put it into words, to convey to others their interpretation, as if scribbles on a page could capture the raw glory.

And it was truly glorious.

As Heaven should be.

Wide accounts of what Heaven be like were often varied from individual to individual, with one common consensus. It was a happy place. And in the beginning, before God created man in his image, He created his soldiers. Perfect beings, obedient and virtuous. They were literally, angelic. Thousands of them created, all brothers and sisters under their Heavenly Father. The angels were not born, they just were. They filled Heaven with laughter and joy, ringing over it’s vastness. Some would sing, others would talk and laugh with one another, and all of them loved their Lord. He was their Father, their Creator. He loved each of them equally and differently He loved Raphael for his calm and quiet outlook on life, taking action only when he saw each possible outcome and consequence. He loved Gabriel for his wit, hearing the harmonious laughter of his children across Heaven from where Gabriel would surely be entertaining them all. He loved Michael for his heart, caring for all his brothers and sisters devotedly. And He loved Lucifer for his loyalty, showing endless devotion and being a beacon for his brothers and sisters. They all called each other brother and sister, but the Four were unusually devoted to one another. It was rare to see one alone. Gabriel could be seen begging Lucifer to show him a new and interesting illusion, his older brother being particularly adept at the craft, while Raphael and Michael could be found under a large oak in the Garden, simply enjoying each others company in companionable silence, eyes shut under the shade of the tree’s leaves. It was before the time of man, and the angels lived together in quiet ease. They hadn’t seen anything new since they had all been created together, but that didn’t bother them.

How can you want something you’ve never know?

* * *

 

  ****

“Come now, Michael, you can’t be serious?” Gabriel snorted from his position on the ground, lounging on the soft grass of the quiet clearing.

“I can feel it Gabriel. Something just feels different” Michael exclaimed, eyes wide staring, at his brother from where he sat across from him.

“What do you mean...different?” Raphael asked, raising one dark eyebrow at Michael.

Michael turned to Raphael, opened his mouth to respond only to bring it slowly to a close.

“I’m…. not sure.”

“Not sure! Just a minute ago you came running into the clearing all worked up about ‘Different’, and now you can’t even explain what you mean?” Gabriel threw up his arms for emphasis, dropping them suddenly over his eyes in exasperation.

Michael looked from brother to brother with prickling annoyance. Annoyed at himself that he was unable to put his feelings into words.  Uncertainty…..Excitement…..Fear. Michael clenched his hand silently on his knee where he sat.

 _You are a soldier of the Lord. You should be unfamiliar with the_ meaning _of fear.._

Raphael regarded his brother’s long silence, and decided tactfully to change the subject.

“Where’s Lucifer?”

Gabriel’s expression went thoughtful, brow furrowing in the same way it did when he tried to figure out a new illusion Lucifer would show him. His features relaxed as he sat up from where he’s been lying on his back, grinning widely at something behind Michael’s shoulder.

“Can only fool me once with an illusion like that, brother” Gabriel laughed, as Michael started in surprise from a light touch on his shoulder. He turned his head to see his brother’s hand resting on his shoulder, and then up to his brother’s face. He was smiling at Gabriel, a glint of pride touching his eyes at his brother’s rapidly growing skill. It was Lucifer’s signature illusion, being able to somehow be where he wasn’t a moment ago. He’d promised to teach it to all the angels, as soon as Gabriel had mastered it. Michael couldn’t see why anyone would want to travel so quickly, but Lucifer explained to him it was fun to suddenly appear in someone’s path unexpectedly. Brought some excitement to their peaceful Eden, he’d explained. Lucifer gave Michael’s shoulder a light squeeze before moving around him to take a seat between him and Raphael.

The Four looked picturesque, sitting in a lazy circle in a patch of  warm sunlight. Lucifer’s arrival brought with it comfortable silence, everyone content to simply be with one another. Raphael tilted his head towards the light, it’s beam’s catching his ebony face in a radiant glow. Lucifer plucked the grass near his crossed legs, for no reason other than to busy his hands. After awhile, he managed to build up an inch tall pile of plucked grass at his feet. A slow smile creeping onto his face, he glanced at his brothers, who were all preoccupied with sunning themselves and staring at the cloud filled sky. Slowly, he gathered his grass pile into a ball, smashing it into a perfect sphere in his smooth hands. Making a shape that satisfied him, he sized up each of his brother’s silently, only having one grass ball to waste. Making his decision, he gave a loud gasp, which as he had hoped, caused all of his brother’s to face him in alarm. He chucked the grass ball at Michael, hitting him dead center in his face. The grass broke apart upon hitting his face, Michael coughing and blinking in surprise at the unexpected impact. He glared at Lucifer, while Gabriel and Raphael fell onto their backs with loud laughter.  Lucifer looked anywhere but at Michael, his eyes wide and his mouth humming an innocent tune.

He was then unprepared for Michael tackling him into the ground. He let out a whoosh of air as Michael landed on top of him, sitting on his stomach while pinning his arms against his sides with his knees. Smirking up at Michael, he took a moment to catch his breath.

“Seems like your illusions have made you slower than I remembered, Lucifer. Not enough good can be said in favor of walking.” Michael grinned, lifting his eyebrows to tease him.

“As I recall, I won last time,” Lucifer countered, subtly moving his arms to gauge Michael’s grip on him.

“Your memory must be evading you today brother. Did I hit your head too hard?” Michael chuckled.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Lucifer grinned.

Raphael and Gabriel looked on in amusement, glancing from brother to brother. Gabriel looked at Raphael and jerked his chin at the other two, mischief making his eyes sparkle. A corner of Raphael’s mouth lifted in an almost unseen smile, as he turned back to face Michael and Lucifer. Staring straight ahead, he nodded to Gabriel. The two launched themselves from where they were sitting and tackled a brother each, Raphael grabbing Michael and heaving him yards away, while Gabriel came down again hard on Lucifer’s gut.  Lucifer released a shout of pain as he grabbed Gabriel, quickly throwing his brother across the flat clearing with unparalleled force. Gabriel spun midair, hovering for a brief millisecond to give him more time to right himself before landing surely on his feet. As he prepared to charge once again at his brother, a wave of energy bowled him over into the ground.

'Michael’ he cursed internally, preparing himself for the madness to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, the next one will be longer. Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

“And then **BAM** , you were down like a stone” Lucifer laughed, nudging Raphael’s shoulder with his own. They had re-gathered after the adrenaline had wound down, sitting once more in a circle on the grass. Raphael simply rolled his eyes, smiling good naturedly at his teasing brother.

“Like you weren’t the same! It didn’t seem to take much for Gabriel to take you down.” Michael laughed.

“I let him win.”

“You let him! Lucifer, if you were trying to let him win you wouldn’t have thrown him halfway across Heaven.”

“Merely making it look convincing for the rest of you” Lucifer sighed and waved his hand dismissively. Michael snorted in disbelief, not responding to his brother’s attempt at indifference. Gabriel sat across from Michael, unusually quiet for one of the loudest angels in Heaven, a title Gabriel took pride in. His eyes were staring unseeingly at the ground, tuned out from his brother’s boasting. Michael noticed his silence, nudging Gabriel’s shoulder with his own.

“What is it, Gabriel?” Michael asked.

“I was thinking about what you had said before. Seemed important to you.” Gabriel replied shrugging, eyes focused in a rare moment of seriousness, his intent obvious. Michael tensed slightly, unwilling to return to his uneasy feelings. It was unlike him to have something nagging at his thoughts like this, trying to push it’s way to the front when he only wanted to keep it away. He didn’t even know what was bothering him exactly.

“Keeping secrets from your brother now?” Lucifer asked, fixing Michael with a weighted look, his eyes scouring Michael’s face for clues.

“Of course not. We don’t have any secrets to keep”

Michael replied with the obvious answer.

“Then why so tense? Is it really so bad you can’t tell your favourite brother?” Lucifer prompted, eyes taking on a feigned look of hurt. Michael was fairly certain he practiced his expressions in the lake’s reflection when no one was around.

“No, I just don’t relish another angel laughing at me.” Lucifer turned to fix Gabriel with a disapproving frown.

“Why is it me right away!” Gabriel shouted.

“Lucky guess. Tell me, Michael. Obviously it’s important enough for Gabriel to attempt sincerity. I promise I won’t laugh.” Michael hesitated a moment longer before he exhaled, beginning once again on his thoughts.

“I feel something, Lucifer. Something’s different. Not the kind of different like, this flower is blue, while this one is red. I can’t explain it well at all. But a feeling keeps going through my mind, and I can’t place it. I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but it won’t go away, it won’t let me forget it’s there.” None of them knew what to say to that. They didn’t even know if it was a problem they could fix.

“Has God spoken to you?” Lucifer said finally, his voice quiet in the wide field where they sat.

“No. God hasn’t called for me since the last time we all were summoned together.”

“Should we speak with Him?” Raphael asked.

“Yes. This is beyond any of our understanding. He will know what to do” Lucifer nodded to Raphael. They all rose, quickly dusting off the grass and dirt. Before they could start on their way to God’s throne, they were suddenly gone.

* * *

Everything is immaculate. A grand room, huge and imposing, ceiling towering over the Four’s heads. A long table made of agarwood, glass chalices rimmed with purple paired with plates topping it’s unblemished surface. On the far end is a great white throne, carved from white marble and flecked with gold and other beautiful jewels. It’s raised high, fitting for a place where nothing was unimpressive. The throne is carved with the figures of every angel created, small and beautifully detailed. Lucifer spotted their own likenesses imbedded in the throne, warmth filling him as he took in his Father’s symbol of love for them. He looked around, searching for their Lord in the massive room. The room looked completely deserted, devoid of life entirely. He shot Raphael a worried look where he stood beside him, uneasy standing in the heavy silence of the room. Raphael could only shake his head, unable to reassure his brother. He was wondering why they were here, as if they had all used Lucifer’s illusion in unison. Only Lucifer and God had the ability to appear and reappear at will, but that’s not how God chose to call his angels. He sent Balthazar, His messenger, to deliver any angel summons. The angels who were called would make the walk to his palace, and eventually be taken into this exact room to see him. He wanted to check on them, have personal time with each one when he could manage it. But God must have skipped the summonings for a reason, and what the reason might be Raphael could only await with growing anxiety along with the rest of his brothers.

The Four stood in a line facing the throne, their sudden appearance having placed them there. With a look at his brothers, Lucifer made a few tentative steps forward towards the throne. Unable to simply stand there while their brother went on, they followed. Lucifer stopped a few yards away from the foot of the throne, the rest of the Four coming to stand beside him. They looked around the room once more, but saw no one.

“Don’t look so frightened, all of you.” a deep voice boomed from nowhere, yet everywhere. The Four quickly dropped down on both knees, kneeling over to press their foreheads to the cool black marble floor, their arms stretching out to lie in front of them as they tried to make their bodies as flat as possible. A slight rustle of fabric above them signaled God had come.

“Soli Deo Gloria,” The Four uttered reverently, eyes remaining fixed on the marble.

“Rise, my sons. It would seem we have much to discuss.” a deep voice rumbled above their heads. The Four raised themselves to stand tall, their shoulders straight. Only then did they allow themselves to look at their Father. He was smiling at them, eyes resting on each in turn. His eyes gleamed, golden honey irises mixing with deep green, yet inexplicably blue as well. He was indescribable, and if Heaven was glorious, God was simply unfathomable. He was their whole world, and the Four could feel nothing but love filling them as they took in his radiant form, their time with God usually too brief for their liking.

“You were preparing to come see me before I brought you here.” A statement, no question in his voice. “Tell me what troubles you”. Michael stepped forward slightly, posture rigid as he addressed God.

“Father, today I heard a word whisper through my mind. It leaves a cloudy, lingering feeling in it’s wake that I cannot describe, like a mixture of emotions swirling through my consciousness in a fog. I’ve tried to ignore it, but doing so only seems to increase the feeling, demanding my attention.” God nodded, His features lifted by the small smile he gave him.

“Yes, Michael, I understand what you are feeling. I am pleased to hear you have felt these thoughts so soon, admittedly I was not sure how long it would take for them to reach you. They are a signal for a great change, well, the only change up until now, really. But it will certainly not be the last one. Oh, you boys frighten so easily,“He laughed loudly, eyes crinkled at the corners as he noticed their alarmed expressions, “It’s not nearly as terrible as your faces would suggest. Nothing like that. Just something...new.” He finished, eyes taking in their reactions.

And truly, they were something to see. Each was desperately trying to process everything at once, their minds unable to cope with the information. Brows were furrowed, eyes were narrowed to the point of squinting, as they visibly struggled with the concept God had tossed out so casually, as if the event was a habitually occurring thing.

“Or rather, someone new” God smiled in amusement. Lucifer blinked rapidly, unable to comprehend God’s meaning. Raphael was the first the regain his voice.

“Lord, we are lost. What do you mean when you say, someone?”

“I’ve created a new angel. He is to be known as Castiel. He is your new brother. I know you will love him just as strongly as you love your other siblings. With his creation you are to be given a new role in Heaven, Archangels of God. With it you command a new respect, more powerful than any angel, second only to myself. But more importantly, you are to be Castiel’s teachers, as well as his guardians. You will defend him, teach him, and watch over him. His own role will become clear to you one day, he himself does not yet know it.” The newly christened Archangels prostrated themselves, accepting their Father’s honor and command. Rising once more, Lucifer’s face was a mixture of confusion and wariness.

“Lord, you say we are to defend him. Defend him from what? There is no danger in Heaven. Is there a danger coming?” Lucifer asked.

“Yes, but no time soon. Certainly not a danger you need to think seriously about now. For now, you must meet your brother.” God raised his hand from where it had rested on the arm of his throne, and the Four were now standing face to face with their new brother. They tensed in surprise, eyes roaming over the angels form. A strange form. He was considerably shorter, shoulder barely passing Gabriel’s waist. His features were small and delicate, his fingers petite and thin. He was unlike anything they had ever seen before. And he was looking at them in much the same way. Lucifer looked at God questioningly, praying they would receive an explanation for their brother’s strange appearance. God chuckled,

“Yes, I can see you are very surprised. He is much smaller in size, because he is a ‘Child’. He will continue to grow under your care, with time, but will need constant guidance and teaching. Don’t be fooled, however, by his physical form. He is still an angel, and with time will become a mighty one indeed. I entrust him to you, Archangels. I know you will do all that I ask.” “Amen”, they responded, dipping their heads in acknowledgment. Castiel, eyes wide with surprise, quickly spun around to face God. He mimicked the Archangel’s motion, tiny head bobbing clumsily. God smiled at Castiel, and then nodded to the Archangel’s, raising his hand once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Agarwood is the most expensive wood  
> *Soli Deo Gloria means in Latin Glory to God Alone. The angels will use Latin when being extremely respectful/formal 
> 
> I edit this while thinking about and dreading school. Gah. Oh well, cant wait for you to see the next chapter! Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

They were suddenly in the Garden, surrounded by the abundant flora. Massive flowers dominated the scene, complemented by smaller, more subtle ones. Gorgeous trees of every species stood tall and proud, reaching high above the group of angels standing below. Castiel let his eyes wander over the beauty and strangeness of it all, seeing it for the first time.

_How glorious it i_ s, he marveled, eyes following the lazy flight of doves overhead. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of shifting feet, causing him to spin around to face his brothers.

_Brothers,_ he thought. Another new thing to learn. He took in each of them with bright eyes, gaze roaming over them to take in their details. One brother had dark black skin, coupled with deep brown eyes that almost blended into his pupils. He looked very serious now, looking at Castiel with an analytical expression. His eyes moved on to his next brother, the shortest. His hair was also the longest, a medium brown. He was looking very serious like the first, but Castiel could see the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, giving away his true nature. The brother next to him had brown eyes as well, but not as drastic as the first. Black hair cut short sat on his head, drawing no attention. His mouth was set in a hard line, looking Castiel up and down. He seemed agitated, hands twitching at his sides, eyes averting whenever Castiel tried to make eye contact. And then there was the last brother. Strangely enough, this brother was not watching him at all. His body was facing Castiel’s, but his face and eyes were trained on the three next to him, concern plain on his face. He was worried about them, Castiel realized suddenly. Castiel observed that he was the tallest, sandy brown hair and green eyes being his dominant features. All of these observations passed by in a mere ten seconds. The shorter angel rolled his eyes.

“Will someone please say something? We can’t just stare at him.” The black haired angel glanced at the taller one, who shrugged in response. Castiel felt strange, not knowing what he was supposed to do, or what was expected of him. He didn’t even know their names. His Father told him they were to teach him, but he didn’t know what to even say to them. He rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, swaying nervously. The dark skinned angel followed his lazy movements with his intense eyes, finally speaking.

“We can start with our names. That seems like a reasonable way to start. I am Raphael.” he said with a nod, curt and to the point.

“Raphael’s known throughout Heaven for his fuzzy feelings. Hey, my name’s Gabriel.” The shorter angel said, mouth transforming quickly from it’s former frown into a playful smirk. Raphael jabbed Gabriel’s arm with his finger, sending a volt of lightning through him, which caused Gabriel to jump with a yelp, rubbing his arm with his other hand. Raphael merely rolled his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. The black haired angels tension eased as well, the wariness ebbing out of his face and body. He gave Castiel a warm smile, then said

“I’m Michael. Sorry about the less than welcome reception. We weren’t expecting a new brother join us.” The tall angel finally turned to look at him, satisfied his brothers were okay. Quickly looking Castiel up and down, he smiled.

“I’m Lucifer. We’re very pleased to be called your brothers, Castiel. As God told you, we are to be your Guardians. If you have questions, ask one of us. If you are in need of anything, the same applies. We each have our own unique perspectives on things, as you can tell by Raphael and Gabriel,” he grinned at his two indignant brothers “but the general opinion is consistent. Do you have any questions for us now?” Castiel took a moment to think. Yes, he had questions, but there were so many, and he wasn’t sure if they’d be able to answer any of them.

“Why do I look different from you?” he finally asked, looking at them with piercing blue eyes, voice higher and softer than their own. The Archangels looked briefly startled at hearing his voice, but they quickly stifled their alarm. Michael was the one to speak first.

“We can’t tell you why, Castiel. We don’t even know why you were created. As God said, you are a ‘Child’, so that must be what is responsible for your physical form’s appearance. But God said with time you would grow to look more like us, so I supposed patience should be practiced.” Castiel nodded at Michael, his nerves placated.

“Ok. What is it that we do in Heaven?” He asked glancing around the Garden. The Archangels blinked, caught off guard again by a question no one’s ever needed to ask before.

“Well, we sing, or pray, or just..talk, really. We play as well, but Michael likes to call it sparring. Our role in Heaven is Soldier’s of God, but there is no threat inside Heaven.” Gabriel answered.

“What about outside of Heaven?” Castiel squeaked, fear cracking his tiny voice. The Archangel’s eyebrows quirked in surprise at the sound.

“There is no outside of Heaven. There is only Heaven.” Lucifer assured him. Castiel nodded again, but felt more confusion than when he first asked. His face was furrowed in thought, lips pressing together in concentration. Lucifer noticed his mood change, and quickly said,

“We should present him to his other siblings, don’t you think?” he said cheerfully to the others, trying to distract Castiel from his thoughts. Castiel perked up at the suggestion, smiling in anticipation of more new things. The other angel’s nodded in agreement, and turned to begin walking the path that led out of the Garden. The Archangels made it ten paces before noticing Castiel was not beside them. They turned around to see their smaller brother looking at them with lost eyes, mouth parted slightly like he wanted to say something. The brothers walked back quickly to stand in front of him, looking down at their brother in concern.

“What is the matter, Castiel?” Raphael asked. Castiel looked at them all, biting his bottom lip, unsure what to say. He raised his thin arm suddenly and thrust his hand out towards them, letting it hang motionlessly in their direction, fingers outstretched. Castiel looked at each of his brothers, silently asking for something he didn’t know how to say. All he knew was that inside he was overwhelmed with new feelings he had never felt. He wished he knew what they were called, if they were even called anything. Knowing their names would make them less frightening, he was sure of that. He looked at his own outstretched hand, and wondered why it was there, reaching toward his much taller brothers, who were still strange to him. The Archangels looked at Castiel’s delicate fingers, two of them side by side equaling one of their own. They looked at each other for answers, wishing they had a better idea of how to behave with their unusual new brother, who was the most baffling thing they had encountered in all their time in Heaven. Castiel’s hand remained outstretched, eyes searching theirs with increasing anxiety, just waiting. Lucifer glanced once more at the other three before tentatively raising his own arm, slowly moving it towards Castiel. He kept his eyes fixed on his own hand’s course, following it’s slow movement toward the shorter angel. The other Archangels looked on in puzzled curiosity, as Lucifer slowly took Castiel’s hand in his large, slightly calloused fingers, curling over Castiel’s small and smooth ones. It was an amusing sight to any outsider, one of the tallest and strongest angels in Creation slightly hunched over, a tiny pale hand held in his. Lucifer looked back up at Castiel to see if this was the correct response, and was rewarded with a dazzling smile. Lucifer smiled slowly in relief, and moved to pull his hand from the smaller angels tiny grip, trying to straighten his back from where he had had to lean down. But small fingers suddenly pressed down hard on his own with surprising force, not letting him release his hold. Lucifer looked back down at his hand. Castiel’s size had made them all forget that he was still very much an angel, and the intense grip on his hand was a powerful reminder. The other Archangels were put on edge. They could feel their energies flaring up inside, protectiveness for Lucifer rising. Lucifer glanced behind him at his brothers, then back to Castiel. The little angel looked terribly afraid. He wasn’t looking at the other three angels, Lucifer noticed, likely not even sensing something was wrong with them.

_So why is he afraid?_ The pressure on his hand wasn’t painful, he didn’t think Castiel’s intention was to cause him any harm. It was tight, holding him there, not letting him go. Castiel’s eyes were wide, his mouth wearing a small frown. Lucifer gave Castiel’s hand an experimental squeeze, putting a comforting smile on his face. He could see the smaller angel visibly relax under his reassurance, loosening his grip on Lucifer’s hand. When Lucifer shifted as if to release him again, Castiel looked at him with eyes so pained it took Lucifer’s breath away. He stared down at their hands once more.

_Being a child must affect him more than physically,_ he thought , chastising himself for not realizing it sooner, Nodding to Castiel, he stood up, delicate fingers secure in his. The other Archangels looked at him strangely, but Lucifer merely shook his head, a warning not to say anything. He gave Castiel’s hand another small squeeze, flashing an affectionate smile. Castiel returned it ten fold, grinning up at Lucifer through thick lashes. Lucifer turned back to his other brothers.

“Well then, time to meet the rest of the family”

* * *

 

The walk through the Garden was mostly silent, save the flutter of winged creatures and their calls to one another. They walked two in front and three in back along the worn dirt path that led out of the Garden. Michael watched as Castiel and Lucifer walked in front of them, hand in hand, Lucifer silently pointing things out for Castiel to see with his right hand. Michael could hear Castiel’s high voice speaking, head frequently tilting to look up at Lucifer. His questions seemed to amuse Lucifer, who’s back shook with barely contained mirth. Castiel began to swing his arm back and forth as the two walked, taking Lucifer’s with it. Michael saw his brother look down at their swinging arms, and instead of looking perplexed by the useless motion, simply smiled and looked forward again, allowing his arm to be controlled by the little angel. Michael was amazed at how Lucifer seemed to know just how to handle Castiel, talking to him in a way that the smaller angel responded to. The other Archangels were reluctant to try, unsure of what to do. Michael found his nervousness irritating, unable to think of a reason why he was so uncomfortable around his new brother.

_New.._ he thought, the word still unpleasant in his mind. He came out of his thoughts when they reached the edge of the Garden, the path ending abruptly as they came up to a silver gate reaching high over their heads. As they approached, the gate swung open, and they stepped through onto a grassy plain. The plain was filled with angels, running after one another, singing and dancing to music, or doing other activities. There were angels both thin and thick, male and female, all skin hues and shades. It made Michael happy to see his brothers and sisters so at ease and content. No one noticed them slip quietly onto the plain for a few moments, all of them too busy being wrapped up in their own activities to notice the arriving group. Suddenly a pale angel with dark blond hair stopped mid dance, catching sight of Castiel. His eyes widened to a point where Michael was certain they would pop out, as his mouth parted in shock. His pause made the angels around him stop to see what was the matter, making the angels around them stop, until the entire clearing was silent and still.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, please leave a review! It would help me a lot, as long as it's constructive criticism.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you wanted to follow my Tumblr where all I do is reblog my fandoms (I don't know what I'd post with a writing blog) there it is [Tumblr](http://cas-lock.tumblr.com/)

Michael saw Lucifer bend down to whisper in Castiel’s ear, squeezing his hand tighter. Castiel looked straight ahead at the angels assembled and nodded, facing his brothers and sisters stares. Michael wished he could see Castiel’s expression, wishing he could know how he was bearing up under the cold scrutiny of his kin. One angel from the crowd stepped out, coming forward to stand several paces in front of Lucifer and Castiel. He continued to stare at Castiel for a few moments more before turning to face Lucifer directly.

“Lucifer, wh-”

“This is Castiel, our new brother.” Lucifer interrupted, inclining his head to indicate the blue eyed angel. The angel in front of them widened his eyes and looked again at Castiel, reaction consistent with every angel’s in the clearing. Lucifer frowned minutely at their expressions, then crouched down to Castiel’s eye level, still grasping his tiny hand.

“Castiel, I want you to go with Gabriel for awhile. He’s going to take you to see the Tree.” Lucifer smiled cheerfully, attempting to hide the tension in the clearing from his already anxious brother. Michael watched as Castiel’s face began to flood with panic, clutching Lucifer’s hand as tightly as he had done before. Lucifer stood and walked hand in hand with him towards Gabriel. He grabbed Gabriel’s hand and Castiel’s, fitting them together. Gabriel looked briefly alarmed at the prospect of being sole caretaker, but nodded at Castiel with a nervous smile. The two turned toward a path similar to the one they had walked on to get here, Castiel clutching Gabriel tightly. They had to pass by a few angels to get to the path, and Gabriel was glad he had Castiel on his left side, where he was unable to see the undisguised fear on their faces. Once the two were gone, Lucifer faced the angel in front of him. Michael looked over at Raphael, both of them moving forward to stand on either side of Lucifer. Michael glanced sidelong at his brother to see a protective look sharp in his eyes, staring down the other angel with resolute intensity.

“Well, Puriel?” Lucifer said, keeping his voice level.

“Well? Don’t act like I’m the one who came marching in holding…. I don’t even know what!”

“You heard me when I said it the first time. His name is Castiel.”

“What is that thing doing in Heaven, Lucifer?”

“That _thing_ is your brother, Puriel, and an Angel of the Lord,” Lucifer responded, biting off each word, “I warn you to choose your words carefully when speaking of him.”

“Brother? He looks like no angel I’ve seen before. Why does he look like that if he’s supposed to be our brother?” Puriel scoffed.

“God has created him for a purpose, and he will fulfill that purpose when the time comes.” Raphael stated plainly, glare matching the Lucifer’s. The other angels moved closer, curiosity driving them near.

“Purpose? What can he do?” Another angel marched forward, Sabrael, coming to stand at Puriel’s side. “His tiny arm looks like it’ll break if I look at it for too long, he doesn’t seem to know how to walk properly by himself, and he can’t keep his emotions in control like any normal angel should be able to. What exactly are we to expect from an angel like that?” Michael felt a hot energy engulf him, an emotion coming to front that he rarely experienced.

 _Angry_ his mind whispered. He was angry at them, attacking their own brother in their ignorance. They knew nothing about Castiel, yet they were assuming he was a danger, or worse, worthless, simply because they knew nothing about him.

“Are you questioning your God?” Michael practically growled, surprising all of the angels with his intensity. The angel who had spoken lowered her eyes quickly, not meeting his fiery gaze. Puriel glanced at her, then back to Michael.

“And who are you, Michael, to speak on behalf of God? Why are any of you with that tiny angel?”

“We are responsible for Castiel’s guidance. We are Archangels henceforth.” The angels in the clearing tilted their heads, looking at each other in their confusion. Another angel known as Ambriel, a favourite brother of the Archangels, stepped forward to face them, expression curious, not angry or alarmed like the rest.

“Archangels? What does this title mean.” Ambriel asked.

“We are to protect Castiel, and ensure that he is safe” Lucifer responded. Ambriel looked taken aback by his reply, brow creasing.

“Protect? Protect him from what?”Michael glanced at the other angels. Raising his voice, he said,

“Hear this, brothers and sisters, for I will not repeat myself. God spoke of a danger, but it seems that the danger will not appear for some time. Castiel is an angel, but a special kind. He is a ‘Child’ as well. This is responsible for his small form, and unique behavior. In time he will grow, and become more like all of us. We do not know why he was created, or for what purpose. But God has plans for him and all of us, so we obey, as we always do. Castiel is to be treated as you would the rest of your brothers and sisters, because that is what he is.” The other angel’s glanced at one another, muttering amongst themselves. Michael glanced at Raphael, who gave him a nod of approval, while Lucifer leaned around him to give him a proud grin. Michael smiled at them in response, then faced forward at the sound of a chuckle. Ambriel was looking at them with a smirk, the first good sign they’d seen since they stepped into the angel filled clearing.

“Nice speech. Alright then. Let’s meet our new brother.” Lucifer blinked, surprised and pleased at Ambriel’s quick acceptance. He turned, muttering to Raphael to bring the other two back. Raphael walked briskly past the other angels, not stopping to listen to their frantic murmuring, and turned onto the path they had taken. Within minutes the trio reappeared, Castiel coming into view once again. He still held Gabriel’s hand, looking around the clearing with curious blue eyes. Gabriel walked them over to the other two Archangels, Castiel smiling once he saw Lucifer. When the two groups met, Castiel released Gabriel’s hand. He positioned himself to stand in front of the four Archangels, back straight, chin raised, hands hanging at his sides. Michael looked at Gabriel in surprise, his look returned by a cheeky grin. Castiel remained still, letting the other angels look at him. Ambriel approached him first after a moment, looking over his head at the Archangels for some sort of cue on what to do. Lucifer merely tilted his head encouragingly. Ambriel looked down at Castiel and smiled a small smile.

“Welcome, brother.” Castiel gave a small nod to Ambriel. Ambriel stepped back a ways to let Puriel go forward, Puriel repeating the greeting. Angel after angel approached Castiel in the same way, some sincere in their welcome, others less so. After a while, every angel had welcomed him. Michael nodded at the clearing of angels, relief filling him. ‘One day they will not just call him brother. One day, when he has proven himself, maybe over and over for those who only want to see him fail, he will feel like their brother’. Raphael murmured something unintelligible in Lucifer’s ear, the listener nodding. Lucifer moved closer to Castiel, placing his hand on the angel’s shoulder to gently turn him towards the path he and Gabriel had come from. The other three followed the pair, nodding to the angels in the clearing, who watched their leaving with a mixture of relief and curiosity. They continued along the grassy path, the five angels forming a horizontal line as they walked. Castiel had been walking with his hands at his sides, but the moment they were out of the other angel’s sights, he quickly latched onto the hand on his right, which happened to be Raphael’s. Michael looked on in amusement as Raphael’s normally stoic gaze washed over with panic, his nostrils flaring slightly in alarm. He kept hold of Castiel’s hand however, Michael noticed fondly. Lucifer and Gabriel outright laughed at Raphael’s reaction, the sudden laughter burning away the tense situation from before. Michael looked over at Gabriel as they walked.

“What happened when you two left?” Gabriel smirked, giving Castiel a conspiratory look. Castiel had calmed by now, and returned Gabriel’s smirk with a small grin of his own.

“Well, we talked about a lot of different things. And we decided to make a grand entrance when you called us back. Can’t have our little brother’s second impression disappoint.” Michael smiled to himself at the endearment. “He decided that if he needed to impress his family, he needed to walk out there alone. Show them he’s capable.” Gabriel continued with a nod to Castiel.

“Is that true, Castiel?” Lucifer asked him. Castiel smiled up at Lucifer.

“Yes. I wanted to do this on my own. I want them to like me.” Castiel’s smile suddenly bled away into a frown, looking at the Archangels. “Do you like me?” he asked.

“Of course we like you!” Lucifer exclaimed, chuckling despite Castiel’s serious face. Castiel looked at Raphael, whose hand he still held in his own.

“Of course.” he reassured the little angel. Castiel turned to Gabriel.

“Shoot, Castiel, of course we like you! Bravest little angel I’ve ever seen! Well, really the only _little_ angel I’ve ever seen.” Gabriel cracked a wide grin at his joke. Finally, Castiel looked to Michael. He really did like Castiel, the little angel had given them no reason to doubt him. But he still felt uneasy about the whole situation. It wasn’t Castiel he was uneasy about, he barely reached Lucifer’s waist. But the little angels arrival could spell nothing but trouble for Heaven. God had told them they had nothing to worry about, but the worry continued to nag at him.

He gave Castiel a resigned smile saying, “I like you too, Castiel. You never have to ask us that.” Castiel smiled at Michael, nodding. His eyes seemed to take on an even more intense glow than before. It was almost as if his energy was being reflected in them, shining brighter than he’d ever seen an angel’s eyes glow. Was it an affect of being a Child, this pure radiance? So many questions he would probably never know the answers to. They continued the path they had been walking in a comfortable silence, pierced only by the rustle of leaves being caressed by the breeze. Castiel, filled with a new confidence the angels had only seen in the clearing, ran ahead of them, letting Raphael’s hand fall to it’s side. He was giggling, and it sounded so beautiful and light. Michael couldn’t recall a time he’d ever heard anything so wonderful. The other Archangels were smiling at him as he ran, Castiel always stopping before he got too far from them, waiting for them to catch up before bolting again. After a couple more minutes, they finally made it to the Tree. Gabriel glanced at the other angels.

“We didn’t stay here for very long before Raphael called us back.” Michael nodded, observing Castiel walking around the Tree. It really was nothing special. It was only a few feet taller than Lucifer, with brown, flaking bark. Angel’s had no concept of time, but it just looked old. It was a surprising thing to see in Paradise, where the Garden could boast any number of it’s perfect plants and animals. The Garden’s trees were tall and massive, branches stretching like a roof to cover the top. But this tree was flawed. Heaven’s one and only flaw. And it stood in solitude, with very few angel’s willing to come near it. The concept of defect made most angels uncomfortable, passing over the grisly tree in favor of a strong, sturdy one. But the Archangels loved this one, and so they came to relax here whenever they could. Once Castiel had explored the tree to his satisfaction, he took a seat under it’s branches, little legs crossing over each other. The Archangels sat next to him, forming a small circle of five. Castiel continued to look at the Tree, head tilted up at it’s leaves.

“Do you like this tree, Castiel” Raphael asked him. It was a good question. Not many angels did. Michael wondered where Castiel’s differences began, and where they ended.

“Oh yes, it’s so beautiful!” Castiel smiled at Raphael, looking back up to the branches.

“Better than the trees in the Garden?” Gabriel prompted. Castiel looked down at his feet, thinking of an answer. The Archangels waited, all eyes on the littlest angel. Castiel’s tongue darted out to wet his lips, a quirk that must come with being a Child.

“I think so. This tree makes me happier than all the others. Why does it look this way?” he asked, looking round the circle for answers. Lucifer spoke first, clearing his throat dramatically. Michael rolled his eyes at his brother, who only grinned back at him.

“Well, when everything was created, most things were created in an order. First came God, as we all know-”

“But who created God?” Castiel quipped, eyes wide.

“No one. One moment there was nothing, and then, He was there.” The answer seemed to confuse Castiel more, so he continued with the story. “So, after God came the Light and Dark. And after that came the Water and Sky. Then, God decided Heaven needed some life other than His own. So on that day, God created the Tree. This was God’s first living creation, an ugly thing standing alone in this field. But God truly loved that ugly tree. He’s never really said why, but I like to imagine he enjoys how unique it is, how, even when God creates the rest of the plants and animals, and it’s ignored, it continues to stand despite all that. And of course, after that came the rest of the angels.” As Lucifer finished the tale every angel had heard a thousand times, he glanced over to see Castiel shaking silently. The other angels noticed almost as quickly, and scrambled closer to Castiel. Castiel’s face was moist, and for everything he had Michael couldn’t begin to guess why. But there he was, the littlest angel, shaking like a leaf with his big brothers surrounding him, unsure how to help him. Lucifer shifted closer, scooping his arms under Castiel’s tiny form to draw him close to his body. Castiel began to shake even harder, and Lucifer looked as if he was going to put him back down when Castiel buried his face into the crook of Lucifer’s neck, his breath coming out hard. Lucifer wrapped his arms around their little brother, rocking back and forth gently on the balls of his feet. The other angels could only look on, as Castiel’s painful shudders slowly faded into short, ragged breaths. Lucifer carefully set him down facing the other angels, peering closely at him for the smallest sign that he needed to hold him once again. Castiel lifted his hand to his cheek to wipe away the strange water on his face, hand curled into a tiny fist. The Archangels hardly dared to move, afraid they would upset him again. When at last his shudders had ceased completely, Michael hesitantly asked,

“Castiel, what’s wrong? Why are you so upset?” Castiel drew in a deep breath through his mouth, shivering as his emotions died down to a low din. He looked over at the Tree, wiping at his eyes with his balled up hand. Still staring, he gave it a sad, crooked smile, and said to his brothers without looking away from the ugly tree.

“I’ll be the Tree’s friend. Maybe they'll accept him one day, he'll make more. For now, he’s at least got me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you watch the Season 9 finale? It killed me just a little bit. Can't wait for October! Please review! I honestly am unsure about where I want to go from here. I'm torn between skipping Castiel's "growth" to his teenage years, or staying more on little kid mode. Be nice to know your opinion *makes awkward attempt at winking*  
> Thanks for the support so far!


	5. Chapter 5

Castiel knew he was doomed the moment Lucifer decided to be on the other team. The rational thing, the _only thing_ he should have done, was quit playing altogether. When Gabriel had decided to organize a game, Castiel had felt nothing but anticipation for the event to start. He had stood next to the Archangels, head level with their shoulders, as sides were sorted by the fun loving Archangel. Castiel was put onto a team with Ambriel, walking over to stand next to the brother he had become close to over his time in Heaven. They shot each other sidelong grins, excited for the game to start. As other angels were put onto the two teams, slowly the pool of those remaining became smaller and smaller. Gabriel placed Michael and Raphael on the other team, his brothers sending him competitive looks from across the makeshift field. Only Lucifer remained, standing lazily with his arms crossed over his chest. Castiel figured Gabriel would put Lucifer onto his team, balancing out the Archangel’s power evenly. His assumption, and hope of winning, were quickly destroyed when Lucifer began to look at him with a dangerous smirk. Castiel knew that smirk, had known it for as long as he’d known Lucifer, and it was not a smirk he wanted directed at him. With a shout to Gabriel, Lucifer walked over to the brother, talking for a moment before Gabriel called for the two sides to get ready. With that, Lucifer began to walk over to Michael and Raphael, leaving Castiel to face a team backed by three Archangels.That was when he knew he was doomed. Coming out of his thoughts, he glared at Lucifer, which only caused his brother to laugh and shrug. Michael and Raphael shot him sympathetic looks, which did absolutely nothing to help Castiel. The angels on Castiel’s team began to look nervous at the thought of taking on their opponents, trading anxious glances with one another.

Gabriel stood above the field, hovering high to be able to maintain the rules more easily. Castiel had played this game before with the Archangels, but never on such a large scale. He had had to learn the rules on the fly that day, Gabriel declaring that the experience would “build character”. He had done well though, managing to defeat Raphael and Lucifer with Gabriel and Michael by his side. Despite the large number of angels, the rules remained the same. One team would be on the offensive, trying to tackle the other team’s players. Once you were tackled, you had to sit down, until an angel from your own team managed to tag you back in. Basically, don’t get tackled was the idea to take away. As the two teams sized each other up, Castiel felt the impending doom returning, looking across the field to see the Archangels sharing a conspiratory glance. He really should have quit. A horn blew, announcing the ten second mark. All angels on the field shot out their large, ebony wings, beating them gently to test their strength. Castiel unfurled his own wings, smaller and slimmer than the others, but just as powerful. He shifted his feet, ready to begin.

The horn blew once more, and the field became a blur. Castiel pumped his wings, flying forward with unmatched velocity. He soared across the field, briefly enjoying the feeling of the air whisping through his dark hair as he picked up speed. Hearing the rapid beating of wings behind him, he glanced over his shoulder to see two angels in hot pursuit. Facing forward again, he spotted a copse of trees not far off, hoping he could lose them in the dense area. Entering the copse, he weaved among the trees, tilting himself at different angles to fit through the small spaces the trees left him. His smaller size held the advantage, as his brothers were slowed down by the foliage impeding their chase. Smiling to himself, Castiel broke out of the copse and allowed himself a moment to pause, standing with feet planted firmly on the ground to survey the chaotic field. About one hundred angels were playing, fifty on each team. Castiel spotted ten of his own team seated on the grass, scowling over being tackled so easily. Spotting Uriel seated near him, he dashed away, flying once again. As he drew closer, he saw Michael out of his peripheral vision, coming at him from his side. He was approaching fast, and Castiel wasn’t sure if he could get to Uriel in time. Narrowing his eyes against the wind, he flew faster than he ever had before, wings beating furiously. Drawing closer, an idea came on how to increase his speed, a risky one if he wasn’t going fast enough. When he was twenty yards away, he suddenly collapsed his wings, removing the drag on his overall momentum. He could feel himself zipping through the air, his speed unmatched. He flew past Uriel, slapping him on the shoulder as he whizzed by. He could only hope Michael didn’t simply tackle him the second he was back in the game. Making it to another copse, he thrust out his wings again, catching the air and slowing him down quickly. Looking around for more tagged angels, he spotted Ambriel seated across the field from him. There were no other angels near him, he noticed, as every other angel was flying farther away from them both. Deciding to risk it, Castiel began to circle the field’s perimeter, trying not to be spotted by his siblings. Checking that the coast was clear once again, Castiel flew towards Ambriel. As Ambriel noticed him, Castiel was confused by Ambriel’s distressed face, shouting something to him he was too far away to hear. As he came closer, he was able to pick out Ambriel’s message.

“Watch out!”

A body slammed into him.

_No, not one body, three,_ he thought as he felt himself hit the ground hard, sending dirt flying as he rolled. Face pressed into the hard earth, he tried to lift himself up, only to be pinned by three heavy Archangels.

“Get off me, you three!” he growled under their weight, trying to heave them off, but to no avail. He heard chuckling above him, followed by the weight lifting from his back. Rolling over to face them, he scowled up at his three brothers, who couldn’t help but look smug.

“Well done, Castiel.” Lucifer huffed, out of breath. They were all out of breath, Michael and Raphael taking in deep gulps of air after their rapid chase.“We saw you out pace Michael earlier, good idea with the wing bit. Can’t stop to chat long though, got a game to win. Thanks for the help, brother.” Lucifer called to Ambriel, giving him a wink and a nod. The Archangels beat their powerful wings in unison, soaring high above the field before separating, plummeting towards their own respective targets. Castiel gave Ambriel a suspicious look as they left, to which the other angel raised his hands in defense.

“Don’t look at me like that! I tried to warn you, didn’t I? They tackled me and hid off in those trees,” Ambriel explained, pointing to a spot past Castiel’s shoulder, “and they waited for you to come close. Honestly, if you didn’t have that whole ‘needs to help everyone’ thing, you’d still be flying.”

“A simple, thanks for trying would have sufficed” Castiel snorted, dropping his head to the grass to catch his breath. The game was over soon after that, his team no match for the Archangels. The angels began to depart the field, walking off to do whatever they pleased. Castiel had not moved from his position since he’d been tackled, choosing to remain lying on his back and staring up at the blue sky. Hearing loud footsteps approaching, he groaned audibly, throwing his arm over his eyes. A soft tap from a foot caused him to uncover his eyes with a mock glare.

“Cheer up, Castiel. You didn’t do half bad” Gabriel chided, standing with the other three Archangels.

“Of course I didn’t do half bad, I had to deal with a triple Archangel tackle!” he shouted indignantly. Looking at Lucifer, he continued, “And you! Why did you join the other team?” Lucifer looked genuinely sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

“I wanted to see how your flying was coming along. I didn’t think your team would be so terrible. Honestly, Zachariah was about as useful as a hippo.” Castiel couldn’t stop the snort of laughter that escaped him, momentarily distracted from his annoyance at the thought of his slightly plump brother as the heavy water animal.

“That really was great flying, Castiel. Just imagine how fast you’ll be when you’re fully grown.” Raphael complimented, smiling proudly at him.

“Thanks”, Castiel beamed, knowing a compliment from Raphael was not something given out lightly. “I should be angry at you three, but in my experience, it’s hard to be for very long.” Castiel conceded.

“That’s the spirit” Gabriel cheered.

“So, what will you four do now?” Castiel asked. “Well, since Lucifer’s finally done teaching everyone that disappearing illusion, he’s going to show me a new one he’s been working on.” Gabriel answered.

“Yes, hopefully you don’t use this one to try and put Michael into a tree again.” Lucifer reminded him with a smirk. At the mention of the incident, Michael gave Gabriel a dark look, spinning around to face him.

“Don’t you dare try that again! Do you know how angry Joshua was when he saw me in that tree?”

“How was I expected to know it was his favourite tree? It looks exactly like the tree next to it!” The rest of them couldn’t hold in their amusement as they bickered, their laughter loudly echoing in the now deserted field. Suddenly remembering where he had to be, Castiel stood quickly, giving his brothers an apologetic look.

“I need to go see the Tree, it’s been awhile since I’ve gone. Sorry to leave you all.” The Archangel’s gazes softened.

“Do you want any of us to come with you?” Lucifer asked him.

“That’s alright, I’ll be okay on my own. I’ll see you all later.” Castiel waved as he left, leaving his brothers staring after him.

* * *

 

Having made his way to the Tree, Castiel sat under it’s branches, leaning against it’s peeling bark. With a contented sigh, he closed his eyes, taking advantage of the beautiful day. Which didn’t make any sense, really, since every day in Heaven was beautiful. But Castiel didn’t make sense to himself most of the time, and even less so to others. He smiled, remembering his first day in Heaven, how lost he’d felt in a sea of angels who knew exactly what they were there for, and why. It hurt to think about how most of his kin had been too scared to look him in the eye that day, afraid of what he was truly created for. All he’d wanted was to be accepted, to be called brother like they were. But it had taken time, a lot of time, to get to where he was now. The Archangels had always been there for him though, always by his side.

_Even Michael…_ he frowned, thinking about his distant brother. Over the millennia, Castiel had thousands of memories of his favourite brothers. Like the time Lucifer had shown him how to use his wings for the first time, or when Gabriel had gotten him to help drop Raphael in the lake, or when he’d had to run away with Gabriel when Raphael came charging out of said lake. He laughed out loud at the last memory. But Michael was different. He was always there for Castiel, yes, but something always felt empty, forced. Michael could never look him in the eye, could never spend time with just Castiel like the others could. When Michael thought he wasn’t looking, Castiel could feel him staring at him with a grave expression. From the beginning, Michael didn’t seem to want much to do with him, only looked on as Castiel grew and learned from the rest of the Archangels. He couldn’t understand why Michael chose to distance himself, he’d never asked. He wasn’t sure Michael would appreciate his questions.

Opening his eyes to look up at the Tree’s leaves, he smiled softly. Sitting there, he listened to the wind rustle the leaves, as if by some crazy miracle responding to his grin.

_Can’t be any crazier than me coming to talk to you_  

Castiel’s smile suddenly ebbed away, a frown appearing to take it’s place as his thoughts began returning to Michael. He felt silly, worrying himself about a brother that surely loved him.

_Not so surely_ , an internal voice echoed.

“Castiel!” a voice shouted. Castiel looked to see Michael walking towards him, smile not reaching his eyes.

_Look me in the eye, brother_  

“Come on, Castiel. Lucifer wants us to watch him and Gabriel. He said it was, quote, ‘“Everything I’ve ever dreamed of, but never thought I’d see”’, which either means the illusion’s fantastic, or Gabriel’s messed it up terribly.” He paused in his excitement, noticing Castiel’s far away look. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Castiel looked at him, feeling all the confusion and sadness he’d ever felt over Michael begin to overwhelm him, rising until he finally blurted,

“Why do you hate me?” Castiel was horrified by his sudden exclamation, watching Michael’s concerned frown transform into a open mouth gape. The silence stretched on, Castiel unable to tell if it was minutes or hours before Michael finally responded, opening and closing his eyes as if steadying himself.

“We do not hate, Castiel, you know that. Angels do not hate angels.” Michael murmured calmly, his patronising words only fueling Castiel’s growing frustration.

“Then what is it that you feel towards me? It’s not affection, that much is obvious.” Castiel spat out.

“Where is this coming from?” Michael uttered softly.

“I’ve always felt it, from the beginning. You always look at me strangely, when you look at me at all, like I’m something to be watched out for.” Castiel bit out painfully, balling his hands up so tight the skin began to turn white. “Like I was dangerous. As if on a whim I would suddenly crack and decide to take out all of Heaven. I know the other angels felt that way, I wasn’t blind to their looks. But it felt like a slap to see one of my guardians, one of my teachers, one of my protectors, look at me like a weapon to be contained and destroyed. And it’s just becoming harder and harder to pretend like everything is fine between us, when you can’t even look me in the eye.” Michael looked like he’d been punched, his expression tightening. Castiel waited, and was surprised when Michael sat down where he stood, crossing his legs over each other. Castiel watched him stare at the ground, hands kneading together as the silence dragged on. Seeing Michael look up, he was alarmed by the look in his green eyes, tired and haunted. Rubbing his hand over his face, Michael looked him directly in the eye, rasping,

“It was me, on the day you were created, that sensed something was about to change. That day, I didn’t know what kind of change, just the mention of something new was enough to frighten me and the rest of the Archangels. Then, God presented you to us, and after the initial shock was over, I was relieved to see you were no more a threat than Gabriel. But the thoughts kept coming, and slowly they started twisting into these warnings. I’ve tried so hard to ignore them, to banish them from my mind, especially once I saw what a loving brother you were. But every time I see you, I hear the thoughts returning. I know you, Castiel. I know you love Heaven, and all your brothers and sisters, and that you would never intentionally try to hurt anything here. But your coming shows that anything is possible, and I can’t help but wonder what that will mean.”

Castiel didn’t know what to think. All these years, Michael had feared him. He was afraid of Castiel, his own brother. All this time he’d never trusted him, so afraid of what he might become that it had become painful to even look at him. He clenched his teeth, feeling his throat tighten as he took in deep gulps of air. His eyes began to burn, as the emotions tried to take control of his body.

A horn blew, it’s brassy tone bleating out a series of notes. Michael stood quickly, while Castiel struggled to gain control of himself. Looking up at Michael, Castiel saw his eyes widen at the horns cry, listening intently until it’s music ended abruptly. Before Castiel could ask, Michael blurted breathlessly,

“God has called a summit of all the angels.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for slow update, school was ending and what not. Updates will come roughly once a week, since the other 5 chapters I had were pre written. Bonus points if you guessed what God was going to say ;) Enjoy!

In an instant they were outside God’s palace, having used Lucifer’s illusion to transport themselves quickly. Castiel felt himself pressed in on all sides, all of the angels standing in a crowded mass at the foot of the staircase that led up to the palace doors. The air was filled with hushed mutterings, the combined murmurs creating a cacophony of noise. Looking around, Castiel tried to spot Lucifer, huffing through his nose when he realized he was still a head shorter than everyone, making it extremely difficult for him to locate the Archangel. He looked behind him, freezing when he saw Michael. His brother had his back to him, scanning the mob of angels as well. Seeing Michael brought Castiel back to those painful words, his body growing heavy and his mind clouding at the memory. Castiel shook his head fiercely, banishing the thoughts. He couldn’t deal with Michael now, he needed to focus on finding Lucifer. He turned around and walked into the crowd, trying to elbow his way through the massive sea of angels. If the other Archangels would be anywhere, they would be in the front, as due their rank. Despite annoyed exclamations from his brothers and sisters, and more than a few irritated glares, a determined Castiel continued to shoulder his way through, hoping his erratic path was heading in the direction of the steps.

Finally, he broke through the crowd, coming face to face with a worried looking Lucifer and Gabriel. When Lucifer caught sight of him, the corners of his mouth lifted, and the Archangel rushed towards him to bring him into a tight embrace. Castiel had stopped needing his brothers’ constant reassurance decades ago, but after talking with Michael, he welcomed his brother’s comfort, closing his eyes briefly against Lucifer’s chest. He wasn’t sure who needed the comfort more. Pulling away, he looked over at Gabriel, whose brown hair was sticking up at odd angles, while his face was nearly blackened with soot. Stifling a cry of laughter, he slapped his hand over his mouth, apparently not doing well enough at hiding his laughter when he saw Gabriel’s affronted expression. Running a hand through his hair, Gabriel opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a heavy boom. Castiel looked to Lucifer, but the Archangel was listening intently. The boom came again, louder this time, as if drawing closer. The mutterings began to die down, the angels waiting . Once again the boom sounded, the ground shaking under their feet. More booms followed in succession, each one louder than the last. The time between each one became shorter, as if mimicking a beating heart, and the angels became more uneasy, the mob packing closer together. Raphael and Michael managed to break through the front, coming to stand next to the others. With a boom that threatened to shatter Castiel’s hearing, Heaven was drowned in a flash of light, announcing the coming of the Lord.

* * *

 

Lucifer raised his hands to shield his face, squinting against the bright light. When the light began to fade, he dropped the hand slowly to his side, staring up at the top of the stairs where his Father stood looking down on them all. Lucifer dropped to the ground, along with the rest of the angels, and said the traditional reverence. The combined voices echoed strongly in unison,

“Soli Deo Gloria”. He risked a glance at Castiel, who was prostrating next to him. Still the littlest angel, Lucifer thought absently, holding in a chuckle. The deep voice boomed out,

“Surge, et lumen videbis”. The angels all stood, their complete and utter attention on their Lord. He smiled at them, his gaze roaming over the assembly of Heavenly Host. “It has been a long time since I have seen all my children gathered together in one place. Longer still, since the time I walked among you. It would be untrue to say that is my only reason for summoning you all here.” God paused a moment, looking at a spot next to Lucifer. Lucifer looked, puzzled when he realized God was looking at Castiel. Did Castiel know what was going on? No, his little brother looked as confused as every other angel by the summons. “In the beginning, I created Heaven, and filled it with everything you have seen. I filled the Garden with it’s plants, I poured the lakes with it’s water, and I pulled my very essence out to create my children.” He rumbled, eyes sweeping over the assembly. “You are my soldiers, my Heavenly warriors, and yet you have nothing to protect. Nothing to fight for, nothing to defend with the last beat of your heart.” Protect? Did God create more angels like Castiel? Even though he loved Castiel, he was his little brother after all, it had been difficult raising the sometimes unpredictable angel, and he didn’t think he could do that a second time. Lucifer looked over at Michael, who seemed to be having the same thoughts, his face clouded. “Protecting is what you were created for. You have served Heaven for eons now, but it is time to serve me in a new way.” God began to descend the steps, slowly making his way down to the foot of the stairs. He stopped in front of the Archangels, and gave Lucifer a tiny smile. Lifting his head, God commanded,

“Follow.”

The scene changed to a field, this one holding a massive lake at it’s center. The angelic crowd were several hundred meters from the bank, staring at it’s distant surface. Lucifer looked around, relieved to see Castiel still by his side, staring at the lake with his curious blue eyes. Lucifer could see God at the head of the crowd, facing the lake. He looked over his shoulder, and said

“Come.” God walked forward, followed by his children. Lucifer tugged Castiel closer to himself, receiving a frown for his protectiveness. Eventually they made it to the bank of the lake, stepping onto the muddy shore and spreading out to stare into it’s clear water. Lucifer stood next to God, glancing at his Father’s face. God stared directly into the water, blinking once at it's surface. Lucifer followed his Father’s gaze, drawing in a loud gasp. He saw the water’s surface begin to change, a picture forming in the blue. He could see trees and grass, flowers and birds. And there were angels walking. No, those are not angels...what are they? The angels around him began to whisper, but he couldn’t hear them anymore. His attention was on the naked beings covered in dirt.

“Humans.” God rumbled, startling Lucifer, and making the water’s surface ripple, “Humans are what you will fight for.” Lucifer blinked, listening as the other angels muttered quietly. “They are my greatest creation, unique, and filled with my spirit. They are not like you. They are born, they live, and they die. Their life is like a candle, burning for but a moment before the flame begins to fade. They are cursed, and blessed, with powerful emotions that often cripple their judgement. It will be you who serves them, guiding their way through the long, dark nights, a beacon of light.” The mutterings became deafening, Lucifer watching as his brothers and sisters became more and more frightened. Others looking...angry? His attention was drawn to one human, who was off by himself eating a single fruit from a tree. Lucifer watched curious as another human saw the one eating the fruit, and began to sneak up behind him. The rest of the angels around the lake noticed the odd scene as well, and became silent as they all watched the strange creature. The human was only a couple meters from the other, cocking his head to the side as he peered at the one eating, as if working out a difficult problem in his head. Lucifer watched with growing unease as the man noticed a low hanging branch above his head, managing to snap it off the tree without the other human hearing him. The man began to creep forward, holding the branch in his right hand. Lucifer could see the look on the man’s face, could see him staring at the fruit, a glint in his eyes. The man was directly behind the other now, raising the branch high above his head. Lucifer held his breath, letting it out again in a rush when the man brought the stick down on the other’s skull. The angels jumped back from the water, letting out shouts of alarm, as the blood began to flow from his head. Their shouts were drowned out by his screams of pain, his head becoming soft with the clumsy swings of the branch. The angels listened in an eery silence to his screams, as they became softer and softer. His eyes began to glaze over, staring at nothing, and his body fell to the side with a thud, no longer held up by life. The man with the branch let out a guttural whoop, tossing the branch aside to pick up the half eaten piece of fruit. He bit into it, letting the juices drip down his chin as his eyes narrowed in satisfaction. Still holding the fruit, he looked down at the dead man, nudging him hard with his foot and making Lucifer’s spine crawl. The human walked away with his prize, no shame or guilt written on his juice soaked. Lucifer couldn’t move, he felt numb. He had never seen anything die before, he hadn’t even know anything could die before today. And the look in the man’s eyes...was primal. No thought to what he had done. And for what? A half eaten piece of rotting fruit? He had wanted that fruit, and he hadn’t hesitated to take it, even if it meant killing his own kind to do it. God wanted him to protect these _mud monkeys?_ Wanted him to _kneel_ before them. He took a step back, turning away from the pool in disgust. He startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder, slowly turning him around to face his Father. Lucifer immediately looked at the ground, but made himself look back up at his Father when he heard a sigh. With a hand still on his shoulder, God gave him a sad smile, squeezing him once before releasing him to face the water once again.

“You have seen their weaknesses now. Humanity, is what makes them vulnerable, makes them a danger to themselves. However, it is also their greatest strength. Their spirit makes them beings truly worthy of being served, and in time, you will see them accomplish great feats. You will serve them until your last breath, this is my Word, and my order. Kneel” God commanded loudly, looking round the pool. Lucifer watched as every angel kneeled, bowing their heads in obedience. He forced himself to the ground also, gritting his teeth as his knee squished in the mud. He narrowed his eyes at the pool, staring into the face of the slayed man. God spoke more on their new powers and responsibilities that they would perform to keep the humans safe, but Lucifer heard none of it. His mind flew back to the dead man, the bloody branch, the lusting killer. They were unworthy of being called Children of God. God had called them his favorite, but why? He couldn’t see a single redeeming quality amidst the brutality. It came to him, like a blow to the gut, in startling clarity. Once a thought is born, takes root in your mind, it can never be erased.

God was wrong.

* * *

 

Castiel sat under the Tree with the Archangels, tension thick as ice. None of them had talked about what had happened by the lake on the way here, and none of them talked now. Castiel looked at his brothers, who had their eyes trained on the ground. The silence had been dragging on for awhile, and he knew he'd go mad if it went on a moment longer.

“We can’t just not talk about it.” Raphael rasped, bringing everyone from their thoughts.

“Better than saying what everyone’s thinking.” Michael muttered, rubbing his hand over his jaw. “We were given a command, and it’s not our place to question it. All we can do is serve them.” At the word serve, Castiel saw Lucifer’s fist clench, his knuckles going white. Castiel frowned, looking at his other brothers, but no one else seemed to notice Lucifer’s reaction.

“And what does that mean, serving them? Are we supposed to go down to that place?” Gabriel asked.

“You heard Father. He said for now we watch over them from the lake.”

“And do what? Make them _more_ fruit to kill for?” Lucifer spat angrily. Castiel and the other Archangels looked at him wide eyed, stunned.

“Don’t say that.” Raphael pleaded quietly, as if he was afraid of being heard. “We don’t make the rules, we follow them. This is what we were made for.”

“We weren’t made for _this_. To serve those animals! You saw what that one did, what they’re capable of doing just for a piece of fruit.” Lucifer’s voice cracked slightly, Castiel wanting to reach out and comfort him. “God’s choosing those mud monkeys over us, making us grovel in the dirt to serve them.” Castiel knew they were entering dangerous territory. It was blasphemous to speak against God, and any decisions he made, and Lucifer knew that as well as he did. 

“You’re not thinking straight.” Castiel warned. “You need to think about what you’re saying before you do something reckless.” Lucifer turned his head away, refusing to look at any of them. Looking back and forth between Lucifer and his other brothers, he finally stood, speaking directly to Gabriel. “I have something to do. It won’t take long, so don’t go anywhere.” Castiel walked around the circle to Gabriel, bending down to murmur in his ear, “Make sure he stays with you.” Gabriel brow lifted briefly, but he gave Castiel a small nod. Nodding back, Castile turned himself onto the path towards the lake.

* * *

 

He could have used Lucifer’s illusion to transport himself, it was quicker and simpler, but he needed the time to think that a walk afforded him. Lucifer was messing with something dangerous, questioning God out loud, questioning at _all_ , really. Castiel had never heard of an angel who had doubted, he didn’t understand how anyone could. Then again, nothing like this had ever happened before. Except me, he thought. The other angels hadn’t liked when he had been created either, but they had never questioned God’s plan. Yes, he was different, but they had learned to accept him, and even love him, after enough time had passed. But these humans were something else entirely. They were dirty, they were unintelligent, they were weak, slow, easy to anger, ruthless, lustful, uncaring, and unable to contain any of it. Castiel remembered with a shudder the look on the human’s face when he had killed the other. He hadn’t looked sorry, he only cared about the fruit.

Castiel continued to walk, the calm scenery along the path helping to channel his thoughts. Yes, they were prone to outbursts of emotion, but so was he. Not in the same way though. He had been taught over countless eons how to maintain composure, and overall he managed well, schooling his expressions when he was in the company of anyone besides the Archangels. Could they be taught the same? The path stopped, the wide lake coming into view. Castiel spotted a single angel standing by the lake, staring into its depths like a sentinel on guard. Castiel began to walk slowly over to him, the other angel looking up at his approach with a blank face. One of his lower brothers, Castiel thought with a wince at the term, referring to the quiet, dutiful angels of the Host who served those like the Archangels. They never showed any emotion, and it always made Castiel more uncomfortable than impressed.

“Hello, brother. How is your watch?” Castiel asked him neutrally. God had ordered that at least one angel be present to watch the lake at all times, and so the angels had doled out shifts for the lower ranking angels to rotate. The other angel glanced at the pool before responding.

“All is calm now. After the rest of the Host left, there was a large battle between some of the humans, but it is over now.” he said blankly, casting his eyes into the lake. “They really are angry little things, are they not?” he finished, looking at Castiel with his empty stare. Castiel nodded with a swallow, not looking at the pool. The other angel tilted his head to the side, looking at Castiel. “Are you taking over my watch, brother?”

“Yes. I’ll relieve you. Make sure someone relieves me in thirty minutes.” Castiel replied briskly, still not looking into the pool. The other angel nodded, trasporting before Castiel could say anything further. Castiel sat down, crossing his legs over each other and taking a deep breath, steeling himself. Finally, he looked into the clear waters, and had to hold himself back from vomiting onto the muddy bank. The grass in the woods was covered in bodies, with flies swirling around the bloody dents left in their skulls. The grass was no longer green, covered in the thick blood of the fallen, while the leaves overhead were flecked with it, the red spatter reaching high. Castiel looked down at his hand shaking, just like Lucifer’s had, and he slapped his other hand over it quickly. Gritting his teeth, he got up, moving to the other side of the lake to see if the battle had spread through the rest of the area. Looking down, he saw a human, a woman, sitting against a tree. She had her eyes half closed, looking content, drinking in the sunlight that filtered through the leaves. The grass was clean and the air was calm, the battle obviously not reaching that part of the area. A man entered the clearing , holding a stick in his hand, and Castiel felt his fist clench for the innocent woman. But the man held the stick verticle to the ground, using it to help him walk towards the woman seated under the tree. She rose smiling, meeting him halfway to embrace him. Castiel was puzzled, his head tilting as we watched the man and the woman hold each other. She was smiling, her head resting comfortably under his powerful jaw, as he held her close, kissing the top of her head. They both looked up as they heard a loud cry, the woman smiling a sly smile, like Gabriel’s, Castiel marvelled. The man looked around, confused by the sound, when the woman abruptly left his arms to dance away from him into the trees. She looked back at him and gave him a half smile, suddenly dashing away through the bushes. The man stood there for another second, then began to chase after her, shouting for her as they ran. She always stopped when she got too far away, letting him catch up before shooting off again. Eventually he lost her, panting with his arm propped against a tree. He looked around for her, his head scanning the foliage. Castiel looked for her too, but couldn’t find her in the thickly wooded area. He and the man looked at the same moment as they heard the squeal, suddenly closer and louder than before. The woman emerged from the bushes, holding a squealing creature. Castiel peered closely at it, jumping back a little from the lake when the creature squealed louder. Castiel saw the man smile, the smile taking up his whole face, alighting his eyes. He began walking towards the woman, murmuring softly to the creature. The woman smiled at him affectionately, placing the creature in his arms. Castiel crept closer to the edge of the lake, letting his eyes roam over the pink being held in the man’s strong arms. It had two eyes, one nose, two arms and two legs, like the rest of the humans. It was small, so very, very small, and looked as fragile as a leaf. It had the same colored hair as the woman, and when the creature opened it’s brilliant green eyes, they matched the eyes of the man. This was a new human. God had called them something...babies, he thought. The woman made a cooing sound at the baby, smiling when it wrapped it’s tiny fingers around her thumb. She whispered, Castiel barely hearing her words.

“מלאכים שומרים עלייך.” Castiel blinked in surprise. How could she know? The woman gave him no answer, continuing to coo at her babe while her husband wrapped his arm around her waist, holding the small child. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, smiling down at the woman and baby. They all looked so happy, so blissfully happy, that Castiel could feel it from where he sat. Their eyes were filled with it, same as their smiles.

_Love._

He could see it when they looked at the baby. But when they looked at each other, the love was different. Castiel didn’t know how to describe it, it was just more….something. Standing up, he gave the family one more smile, even though they could not see him. Lifting his chin, he promised,

“I vow to protect humanity, but most of all I vow to protect you. I will watch over you, and I will keep you safe from harm.” With his promise, he walked away from the lake, back onto the path towards the Tree. He needed to tell his brothers, and most of all Lucifer, what he had seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soli Deo Gloria- Glory to God Alone. (Latin)  
> Surge, et lumen videbis- Arise and you will see my light. (Latin)  
> מלאכים שומרים עלייך- Angels watch over you (Rough translation. In the Bible everyone spoke Hebrew, so I'm going with Hebrew for the early humans.)  
> **So much foreshadowing, hope you were paying attention.**


	7. Chapter 7

Castiel walked quickly, wanting to share what he had seen at the lake with his brothers. All they had witnessed was anger and violence, but they had no idea the ability to love that they possessed. Just thinking about the man and woman’s smiles for each other made Castiel grin, and he made himself walk faster to get back there even quicker. And when he had seen that little baby... Castiel had felt something empower him when he had seen the baby. A need to protect that he had never felt before he had glimpsed those tiny green eyes. Whether it was from the humans themselves, or another threat, Castiel had made a vow, and he intended to keep it. Unable to wait any longer, he transported to the Tree, words poised on the tip of his tongue to share with his brothers. He was greeted by three panicked Archangels, all of them with dark frowns plastered on their faces. They looked up when Castiel appeared in front of them, as if waiting for a reaction. He didn’t understand why, until he looked around and couldn’t see Lucifer.

“Gabriel, I said don’t let him leave!” Castiel screamed, marching towards his brother.

“He just left! What did you want me to do, Castiel? If you were this worried you should have stayed here yourself! ” Castiel held in a retort, telling himself Gabriel was only lashing out over Lucifer’s disappearance.

“I can’t sense him. He’s cloaked himself.” Raphael reported, eyes closed while focusing.

“Angels can do that?” Castiel asked.

“Lucifer can do that.” Michael corrected, clenching his fist at his side. “He has so many tricks and illusions, I’m not surprised he can hide his energy from us. It might help us find him if we knew why you left, Castiel” Castiel nodded and began to explain everything he had seen, from the peaceful woman, to the caring man, and finally at the innocent baby. As he finished, Castiel could see his brothers conflicted faces. “Did you know you would see that when you left” Michael asked. Castiel shook his head.

“No. I had hoped that I would find something positive about the humans to show him, but I didn’t have much faith I would find any.”

“This is too much. Why couldn’t everything just stay the same?” Gabriel whined. “Same old angels, same old God, same old Heaven. We were doing fine without the humans, no one was questioning anything, there was nothing to even question! Now, we have an MIA brother off doing who knows what, and a bunch of humans that either kill for fruit, or have babies!” Michael rolled his eyes at Gabriel.

“Found anything?” Michael asked, turning to Raphael.

“Nothing. I can’t find him.”

“Then we need to spread out. Search everywhere. Each of us take one of the four corners and work inward. Tell all of us if you find him.” Michael ordered. Castiel nodded with his other two brothers, transporting to begin the search.

* * *

 

He had been charged with searching the north end of Heaven, walking along every path trying to find Lucifer. So far, he’d had no luck, every place he’d thought to check for the missing Archangel turning up empty. Completely empty, actually. He hadn’t seen any angels since he’d started his search, when he usually would have run into at least a couple dozen of his brothers and sisters by now. Shaking his head, he continued to look, coming up to a marsh area Lucifer sometimes came to with Gabriel. This is where they usually practiced their illusions, away from the rest of the angels. It wasn’t so much for secrecy as for Lucifer’s vanity, hating when others saw him make mistakes in his quest for new tricks, except Gabriel, who messed up far more often than he. Castiel scanned the marsh, seeing no sign of his missing brother among the cattails and swampy water. He turned to leave, jumping when he came face to face with the brother he’d spent so long looking for. Before he could send an energy wave to his other brothers, alerting them, Lucifer held up a hand, somehow cancelling the message. Castiel blinked, trying again to send his message, but failing.

“Stop trying, Castiel. You’ll only hurt yourself if you try and force it.” Lucifer sighed, raising one eyebrow in his familiar way. Scowling at his brother, Castiel abandoned the message. “Good. I need to talk to you, and this is a conversation we need to have alone.”

“I think that I need to talk to you more than you need to talk to me.” Castiel shot back.

“I doubt that.”

“You shouldn’t. You don’t know what I saw, Lucifer. The huma-”

“I don’t want to hear their _disgusting_ name!” Lucifer roared, surprising Castiel with his anger.

“You don’t know them, Lucifer! You haven’t seen them the way I’ve seen them!”

“I’ve seen enough. Oh, I have definitely seen enough.” Lucifer laughed harshly.

“They’re not just killers Lucifer. Not all of them are like that.”

“Really?” Lucifer laughed, shaking his head slowly before looking back at Castiel. “After you left, I needed to clear my head. So I popped out for awhile, not really paying attention to where I was transporting to. And where should I end up but smack in front of that lake. I knew I shouldn’t have looked in, it would have just made me more angry. But I did it anyway, and do you know what I saw?”He could see Lucifer struggling to contain his emotions, his voice cracking as he spoke. “I saw..humans..beating a child. A _child_. He was so small, and so scared. He didn’t have anything, not a single thing they could possibly want, and he had said nothing to provoke them. They just beat him because they enjoyed it,” he snarled, spittle flying out, “and they wouldn’t stop. Over and over they kept hitting him, and still, even though his screams reached every corner of that place, they didn’t stop. And when he was finally dead, they looked so sad. So disappointed that their sport had ended..” Lucifer’s voice faded with the last word.

“Brother, those humans will be punished for what they did to that boy. The man who killed the man with the fruit, he will face judgement as well.” Castiel vowed. “But those men do not define the human race. I saw what they can be, Lucifer. I saw a family today, a mother, and a father, and a beautiful baby. The father had such kind eyes, only filled with love for the woman, and hers were overflowing with the same for him. And they both loved that baby. They’re going to protect him from humans like that. I know that just from glimpsing a mere second of their lives. They would never let him come to harm. And I have to believe, that there are others out there like them.”

Lucifer looked thoughtful at Castiel’s words, and Castiel let himself hope this would all be over. They could all go back to sitting under the Tree, back to listening to Raphael and Gabriel bicker, back to Lucifer talking about his illusions, and back to Michael’s laughter. But Lucifer only shook his head, and Castiel felt the world come crashing down.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t believe that. And even if there are more like them, they are flawed, imperfect. They don’t belong as our masters. He will see that I am right.” Lucifer said, his gaze growing dark. Castiel wanted to hit him. The urge surprised him, he had never wanted to hurt anyone, ever. But Lucifer was heading somewhere dark, and Castiel was growing more and more frustrated.

“He doesn’t have to listen to you.” “Wrong. He will listen to me, and to everyone else that needs to be heard.” Lucifer assured him.

“Everyone? What are you talking about.” Castiel asked him.

“It’s not just me who sees the humans for what they really are. Our brothers and sisters are willing to stand with me.” Castiel didn’t believe him.

“How many?” he murmured, searching Lucifer’s face.

“A third.” Castiel repeated, trying to steady himself. A third. “Are you trying to build an army, or just get yourself killed?” Castile shouted.

“God respects power. We’re going to show him just how powerful we can be. And I want you to help me.” Lucifer said, smiling that cocky smile, as if he was certain Castiel would run with open arms to his side. Castiel did run. He ran to Lucifer with alarming speed, winding back his arm to deliver a powerful blow to his right cheek. Lucifer was sent back a couple steps with the punch, grabbing his cheek while letting out a grunt of pain. Castiel stood staring at him, his breath coming hard, his nostrils flaring. He shook out his hand, wiggling each of his fingers as Lucifer shot him a furious glare from where he stood clutching his face.

“Very well, brother. I hope they are worth it.”

And then Castiel was left alone. Before he could do anything, his surroundings suddenly changed from the swampy marsh to the steps in front of God’s Palace. Looking around confused, he saw what looked like every angel in Heaven gathered on the steps, talking frantically. Spotting Balthazar, God’s messenger, Castiel ran up the couple of steps to where he stood, stopping in front of the blonde angel.

“What’s going on?” Castiel demanded, not wasting time with greetings. He wasn’t close with Baltazar, who mostly spent his time carrying messages, and when he wasn’t delivering, he almost never crossed Castiel’s path. Balthazar looked him up and down, eyes lingering at Castiel’s muddy feet, still there from when he’d been in the swamp. Looking back up at Castiel, he spoke in his lyrical voice,

“Well it seems you’re a little late. Although I am relieved to see you showed up.” he chuckled, shooting a glance up to the doors at the top of the stairs. “Everyone else was summoned awhile ago. What kept you?”

“That doesn’t matter, what is everyone doing here?” Still looking curious, Balthazar raised an eyebrow at him.

“I’m sure it does matter. Quite a lot, actually. But that can wait, seeing as we’re off to fight a bloody war.”

“War?” Castiel breathed.

“Yes.” Balthazar sighed, sitting down on the step, gesturing for Castiel to do the same. When Castiel only frowned, Balthazar laughed. “You’re very serious! Come on, we won’t be going for awhile.” He patted the seat next to him, and with one last glance at the doors, Castiel conceded, slowly sitting down beside him. “Better. Yes, war. Before you got here, every one of us was summoned. Even the Archangels. But there were some of us missing. Enough for everyone to notice. When all of us saw where we’d been summoned, we started to freak out, afraid God had made something worse than those _grubby_ humans. But before we started screaming, or doing something truly barbaric, God threw open the doors,” Balthazar demonstrated wildly with his hands, “and marched down the steps. I’ve never been so terrified in my life. Those steps at the top literally split in half! When he got to the bottom, he started taking names, seeing who was all here. About a third of us were missing though, and when he got to your name, and saw that you weren’t here, he looked furious. Absolutely terrifying. When Gabriel heard you were missing, he volunteered to go get you, but God said you had to ‘choose your own will’, which made no sense, since God obviously wanted you here. If you were siding with Lucifer, he should have made you come here. He’s God, after all.”

“Wait, God thought I was joining Lucifer?” Castiel asked, shocked.

“Well you have to admit it looked a little suspicious. Lucifer’s favourite brother, MIA from God’s team before the war even starts.” Balthazar shrugged.

“But I wasn’t!” he defended himself.

“Well it didn’t look like it. So God told Gabriel to stay here. He told us about Lucifer’s betrayal, about how he was a rebel against Heaven. Everyone was shocked, especially when He told us how some of our siblings abandoned us to fight for him. And that’s when the bomb dropped. We asked him, ‘Fighting?’, and he told us there was going to be a war, us versus Lucifer’s bunch.” Balthazar’s face fell, and he looked at Castiel before murmuring, “I know they betrayed us, but how are we supposed to hurt our own brothers?” Castiel didn’t have an answer for him. He looked around at his other siblings, watching as they prepared for the battle, thrusting out their black wings and stretching them in preparation. He saw some lower angels weaving among them, handing out long objects, rounded at the bottom, and sharpened to a point at the top. Castiel felt confusion morphing into horror, as the image of the man with the branch came to him. He grabbed Balthazar’s shoulder, turning him to show him the objects being handed out.

“What are those?” Castiel stammered, eyeing the silver objects.

“Blades.”Balthazar replied slowly, easing Castiel’s grip off his shoulder.

“And we’re supposed to..”Castiel trailed off when Balthazar nodded at him slowly.

“Every angel’s being issued one.”

“This isn’t right. We should be talking to them, trying to explain what’s going on. We shouldn’t be killing each other!” he shouted. Balthazar only shook his head at him,

“God says what he’s done is unforgivable. They’ve betrayed us, Castiel, betrayed our Father. I don’t want to hurt any of them either, but orders are orders.” Before Castiel could argue more, the palace doors swung open, Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel walking through them. Their faces were stoic and blank, staring straight ahead. The other angels began cheering, shouting praises to their three commanders. The three began to descend the steps, the other angels making a path for them as they walked by. Castiel got up and ran towards them, knowing he had to speak to them before this all started, before they tried to kill his brother. He shouldered past the other angels to Michael, grabbing his wrist hard as he walked by. He called his name, struggling to be heard over the cheers, but when Michael turned to look at him, his eyes were distant and cold. They were the eyes of an obedient soldier, looking through Castiel as if he no longer recognized his brother. Castiel pressed down on his wrist, pleading,

“Michael, please, he’s our brother, you can’t-” Michael turned away from him, pulling his wrist out from Castiel’s shaking grasp. Castiel screamed at him as he walked away, his throat suddenly closing up. He tried to follow him, shoving and fighting to get through, but the crowd closed in behind the Archangel, cutting him off and leaving him shouting his name. He knew Michael could hear him, he was close enough to be able to hear his cries to stop, but he did not turn to look.

His brother was going to let Lucifer die.

Castiel could see them standing at the bottom of the stairs, surveying their army. Michael lifted his head, calling out in a loud voice for all of them to listen. He spoke,

“The time has come, my brothers and sisters, to seek out those who’ve betrayed us, and show them God’s power. Lucifer is a pretender, an angel who claims to know better than our Lord. He leads a group of traitors and fools, who’ve knowingly chosen to forsake our Father. You may feel love for them still, you may think that they deserve mercy. But they are no longer your kin. The hour they chose to abandon God, they chose to abandon you. They deserve neither love nor mercy, and they will not be shown any.” Michael paused, pumping his wings to lift himself over the angel’s heads. He drew his blade, lifting it into the air to proclaim, “Will you fight for God? Will you fight in His name?” The angels began to shout assent, drawing their own blades and lifting into the air. Castiel beat his wings, hovering alongside his brothers and sisters, but not joining in their cries and shouts for justice. A lower angels approached him, holding out a blade to him. Looking over, he saw Michael staring at him, watching him to see if he would take the blade. Looking at it, he saw it’s metallic surface glint, catching the light. He reached out his hand slowly to take it, feelings it’s smooth surface cool in his sweating palm. Looking back over to Michael, he saw his brother no longer looking at him, but hovering at the front of the army. With a powerful pump of his black wings, Michael flew forward, carrying his soldiers into battle, with the littlest angel trailing behind.

* * *

 

In no time at all they had made it to the clearing, the location for the battle. Castiel remained at the back of the army, looking around with sad eyes at the field where not long ago he’d played games with the same brothers and sisters he was fighting against. Balthazar had come up to fly next to him during the journey, attempting to lighten the mood. But Castiel could not join in his jokes and teases, his thoughts laying only with the battle. The angels landed on the clean grass, Michael’s army alone on the field. No one spoke, the air was riddled with tension. Castiel shifted on his feet, juggling the blade in his clammy hands. Then they appeared, silently flying overhead to land opposite Michael’s army on the grass. At their front, Lucifer stood with his head held high, his face openly mocking as he sized up his kin. Castiel watched as Michael strode forward, Lucifer doing the same until the two Archangels faced each other alone in the center, every angel’s eyes fixed on them. Michael raised his voice, empty of all emotions,

“In the name of God the Almighty, King of Heaven and Earth, of all that is Seen and Unseen, lay down your arms, Lucifer, Light Bringer.” Lucifer sneered at him, eyes flashing,

“Look at you,” he drawled, walking in a wide circle around Michael, looking him up and down, “The perfect little soldier, come to slay your dear brother for Daddy. I’m sure he’ll be very proud. Maybe he’ll even let you kiss the mud monkey’s feet as a reward!” Michael let out a guttural growl and drew his blade, much larger and more impressive than Castiel’s.

“End this, Lucifer. You’re leading everyone who follows you to their destruction.”

“That’s funny, I could tell Dad the same thing.” he smirked. Michael thrust out his wings and took a step forward, hefting the massive blade in his right hand. Castiel moved forward, shrugging his shoulder when Balthazar tried to pull him back. He made it to the front of the army, close enough to hear Michael’s voice.

“Don’t make me do this. Please, don’t make me do this.” he heard Michael’s pained whisper. “Brother… _.please_..” . Castiel saw Lucifer’s face fall for a moment, his angry mask dropping as he looked at his brother plead. Lucifer quickly replaced the mask, so fast that Castiel wondered if he had just imagined it all.

“I can’t…” He murmured, taking a step back from Michael. Michael gripped his blade tighter in his hand, his knuckles going white.

“So be it.” Turning, Michael nodded to Gabriel, who lifted a large golden horn to his lips. With a singular brass note, long and mournful, the ground shook, and brothers and sisters flew at each others throats. Castiel was frozen where he stood, looking on in horror as he saw a blade rip open the jugular of his sister, her light pouring out before she slumped lifeless to the ground in front of him. The once silent field was now a cacophony of clashing blades, metallic clangs piercing the air. He felt a presence coming up on his side, and he turned surprised as one of his brothers swung a blade at him. He narrowly avoided having his throat slashed, dodging just in time as the blade sliced through air. The angel let out a frustrated growl as he charged forward again, swinging wildly at Castiel. All Castiel could think to do was continue dodging, dancing lightly on his feet to avoid the massive angels clumsy swings. He knew he couldn’t keep this up forever, sooner or later he would make a mistake, and he’d be joining the fate of his sister and many other angels who had been too slow. He clutched the blade in his right hand, his blue eyes flashing as he felt his grace pulse through him, his angelic power radiating through every molecule and fiber of his being. He went on the offensive, letting out a loud cry as he swung at the other angel, grunting when his blade clashed with the other’s. They sparred for awhile, matching each other blow for blow, neither of them willing to join the dead already beginning to litter the ground. Castiel let out a hiss when he felt his right arm cut, having moved to slow to dodge. He rushed forward, managing to inflict a deep gash on the angel’s bicep before jumping away from the retaliating swing. It was a heavy swing, the power behind it not meeting an object, and so it carried the other angel off balance. Castiel seized his opportunity, darting in quickly to jam his blade into the angel’s heart. The other angels body suddenly seized up, every muscle going rigid as Castiel looked on. He had never killed before, had never seen death this close, and to know it was him who had caused it was...unbearable. The angel fell backwards, taking Castiel’s blade down with him as he hit the grass. Castiel knew he couldn’t afford to just stand there, so he moved quickly to remove the blade from the dead angel.

“I’m sorry, brother.” he choked out, standing up again. He looked around the field, more bodies covering the grass. Castiel looked around for Lucifer, and saw him across the field fighting with Michael. He watched as Michael lifted the heavy blade to slash at Lucifer, knocking the other Archangel off his feet. Michael jumped back several paces, and began shouting words Castiel couldn't hear. The chanting became louder and louder, until all at once the ground tore open like a gash, revealing a hole as black as night. The angels surrounding the hole flew back screaming, afraid of falling into the abyss forever. Castiel squinted against the powerful wind pulsing from the hole, trying to watch Michael. The Archangel was done shouting, beating his wings to raise himself high over the field. Michael dove sharply down, grabbing Lucifer and heaving him up into the air with him. Lucifer struggled against him, screaming and snarling. The realization dawned sharply on Castiel, as he watched Michael hover high over the black pit, circling over it. Lucifer’s struggles became desperate, clawing at Michael’s wings as panic settled in his once confident eyes. In one climactic moment, one that Castiel would remember forever, Lucifer found him standing in the sea of fighting angels. His eyes met his own, and Castiel almost dropped the blade as he looked into those pathetic eyes, those sad, betrayed eyes. Lucifer moved his lips, mouthing something to him right before Michael heaved him down below, into that cold, unforgiving pit.

_I hope they are worth it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I realize that this is a Destiel fic, and so far there hasn't even been a mention of Dean yet. But next chapter he'll be there! Hope you like it so far, please review!


	8. Chapter 8

Castiel stood by the lake, back straight, eyes trained on the clear water. He was alone, the quiet that surrounded him an unusual, and welcome relief. The other angels were elsewhere, either at training or on Earth, guarding the humans as per command. Castiel had never been to Earth himself, but according to Balthazar, it was ‘one bloody hell of a time’. He’d had no time for Earth, spending his time training his small garrison whenever he had the chance. And when he wasn’t training, he was by the lake, where he could keep a watch over the family. It had been hard finding time to see them after Lucifer had been thrown into Hell, along with the other rebels, and he felt himself flinch inwardly at the memory of his brothers and sisters being hurled into the pit, shaking his head to banish the thoughts. After that, there were so many more changes. The angels no longer spent their time laughing and singing and playing games, all time was devoted to battle training, especially after it was discovered Lucifer had begun to build his own army.  
Demons.  
Soon after that, God had vanished. Gone without a trace. Castiel felt it before he heard it, his energy had felt like it was being ripped out. No one knew where He was, or when He’d be back. So Michael and Raphael took over in his absence, building up the army and ruling Heaven side by side. After that, Gabriel disappeared. Castiel had seen him slowly withdrawing from his brothers after Lucifer was cast out, spending more and more of his time alone by the lake, observing the humans and their behavior. And then one day they just couldn’t find him, couldn’t sense his energy anywhere in Heaven.  
So, Castiel was faced with losing another brother. The battle training helped, he could focus his mind better, sharpen his skills, all while leaving his emotions far behind him. It made him stronger, more intune with his reflexes, leaving his mind only focusing on the next movement rather than the pain that was still left inside. Lucifer would have yelled at him for losing himself like that, would have ranted about how hard he was pushing himself to erase his emotions, but Lucifer wasn’t here. He would train with Balthazar, the other angel laughing when Castiel replied to his jokes with only blank stare, unable to express his emotions openly. As time went on, it was becoming harder and harder to remember when he had let them flow with uncontrolled ease. But it was for the best. He was an obedient soldier, he served Heaven. And that was all that mattered to him.  
Eventually, the demon problem had become worse, the demons using humans as vessels to cause absolute chaos amongst themselves. So Michael placed Zachariah in charge of the garrisons, the portly angel giving Castiel his own as a reward for his obedience. Many of the garrisons were sent to Earth to try and reign in the demons, while the rest trained in Heaven, always training.  
Castiel shook his head, bringing himself out of his memories. He focused instead on the family down below. Their lives were so fleeting, only there for less than a hundred years, if they were that lucky, before simply fading away to nothing. Castiel remembered the day the woman and man had died as clearly as if it had been yesterday, their bodies one day just, giving out. But Castiel had continued to watch over the family, generation after generation, making sure they all remained safe. Occasionally, and only when he knew they needed it, he would send an angel or two from his garrison to protect them on Earth. Time had passed, and the culture and people were rapidly changing. The family now lived in the nation of America, in a state called Kansas, in a city named Lawrence.  
Castiel watched a black haired man, stubble on his chin and a grease stain on his shirt, seated at a wooden table in his kitchen, taking a bite out of a sandwich while a light haired woman sang at the sink. She sang a slow song, gently swaying on her feet to the melody, hands scrubbing dishes. She sang the song wonderfully, passing over each note smoothly, voice lilting as she reached the high notes, and then smoothly whispering the crescendo. The man was caught up in her singing, his eyes crinkling with pleasure as she sang the sweet melody. He finished his sandwich, leaning back in his chair while continuing to listen to his wife. She began to sing the chorus, and he joined her, his deep, smooth voice blending with her high one, filling the small kitchen with their harmony. As the song began to end, the still singing man stood up and walked towards his wife, coming up behind her to rest his chin on her shoulder, and wrap his strong arms around her waist. She smiled as his facial hair tickled her neck, trying to spin around and embrace him, but he only held her tighter, nuzzling playfully and causing her to squeal as he tickled her. She finally managed to turn around, attempting to give him a stern glare, but letting it fall away as her husband gave her a sheepish smile. She sighed, placing her hands on her belly, Castiel had noticed she did that whenever she was thinking. The man brought his hands up to place them over hers, his eyes shining and happy. The peaceful silence was interrupted by a loud shout, as a tiny child barreled into the kitchen. His tiny hands were held out in front of him, carrying a small garter snake proudly. The woman screamed and ran towards her son, snatching the snake out of his hand and running outside. Her husband ran after her, trying to get her to come back inside and not stress herself. The boy stood there, staring through the open door as his father tried to coax his hysterical wife into letting him lead her inside, telling her she had to take it easy. Castiel knew the snake was harmless, her worry was pointless. All the same, he was strangely relieved that the child no longer held it in his tiny hands. Finally making it back inside, the boy walked quietly over to his mother, laying a hand on her stomach and looking up at her with wide green eyes.  
“I’m sorry, Mommy.” he said, moving closer to wrap his arms around his mother’s waist. She laid a hand on his brown hair, gently stroking it as she held him as close as her protruding belly allowed her.  
“I know, Dean, but it’s not safe to pick up snakes. Me and Daddy need you to be more careful. Do you remember what we say?”  
“Don’t run faster than your guardian angel can fly.”  
“That’s right.” she smiled, squeezing him. Castiel blinked at the expression. He could fly faster than any snake. And certainly faster than any human. He shook his head, knowing he had no hope of understanding their references, Balthazar only able to relay to him a fraction of them when he returned. He continued to watch the family’s interactions, standing like a sentry as the trio went along with their day. At some point, Dean was running around the house, not looking where he was going as he ran from his father in some sort of game. He rounded the corner of the room, suddenly crashing into the short table in the living room. Dean fell, his face scrunching up as he let out a pained cry. Castiel leaned forward, feeling something tighten in his chest as he listened to his wailing. He felt his wings twitch where they lay dormant against his back, wanting desperately to go to that house and see if the boy was alright. Which made no sense, since his father was right there next to him, holding the boy and comforting him. Castiel couldn’t do anything even if he were to show up, besides healing him of a few minor scratches and bruises. A cough behind him caused him to jump, spinning around to see Zachariah watching him. Castiel dipped his head, showing respect to his superior as Zachariah came to stand beside him at the lake.  
“Hello, Castiel..” he greeted cheerfully, giving Castiel a side smile. Castiel nodded in response, his face blank. Zachariah turned to peer into the water. leaning forward on his toes to observe the still wailing child. Castiel didn’t know why, but he didn’t like the way Zachariah stared at him, almost too interested in the boy, and Castiel wanted nothing more than for Zachariah to leave the lake. But he was his commander.  
“Which family is this?” Zachariah asked, sounding bored.  
“The Winchesters, sir. John and Mary, and their firstborn, Dean. The mother is expecting her second child in two months.” he provided immediately.  
Zachariah seemed to perk up at the last part, before quickly shifting to a blank stare, so fast that Castiel wondered if he had even seen it at all. He gave Castiel a look.  
“Tell me, Castiel, how often do you observe this family?”  
Castiel knew it wasn’t wrong for angels to watch over particular families, keeping them safe if they fit into Heaven’s plan in some way. Whole garrisons have been assigned to protect humans over the centuries. But no one had assigned Castiel to this family, and Zachariah knew it.  
“Whenever the opportunity comes up, sir.” he replied honestly.  
Zachariah nodded again, looking back to the Winchesters. They stood together, watching the family for awhile longer, until Zachariah suddenly clasped his hand on Castiel’s shoulder, whipping him around to face his smiling expression.  
“Well, Castiel, it pleases me to inform you that you and your garrison have been assigned. You’ll be heading to Germany. Really cool place, Germany.” Castiel nodded at the assignment, having been expecting one for a long time now. He would be unable to guard the family while he was on Earth, and that worried him, but he would return soon to take his place by the lake.  
“If I may ask, sir, how long will we be on Earth?”  
Zachariah raised an eyebrow at the question, making Castiel regret asking.  
“A few centuries. Quite a doozy, as far as standard assignments go, but everyone knows you lead the most reliable garrison.” he paused, searching Castiel’s face. “This won’t be a problem, will it?” Castiel couldn’t respond right away. A few centuries. He needed to be here. He had made a vow, he needed to protect these humans, and he couldn’t do that if he was in Germany on another assignment. He looked at Zachariah, who was waiting for him to respond, looking cheerful as always, with something else he couldn’t place. He looked down at the Winchesters, the boy having by now recovered from his fall as he colored in the middle of the floor. He turned away, reminding himself he was a soldier.  
He was a soldier. He followed orders, he didn’t make them for himself. He fell into line when he was told, and he did what he was told. He served Heaven.  
“No, sir, my garrison will go to Germany immediately. Are there any other orders?”  
Zachariah shot a glance at the boy, before pinning Castiel with a shrewd look.  
“Make sure you stay in Germany, Castiel.” he warned, before disappearing in a blink. Castiel knew what he was implying, and he didn’t like it. He’d never abandon his assignment, not for anything. He offered the Winchester boy one last glance, a frown replacing his normally blank expression before he was gone in a blink, only able to hope that the boy and his family remained safe. Down on Earth, the boy suddenly looked up.

* * *

  
Castiel slammed the demon into the ground, smiting it before it could rear it’s ugly head, the light seeping out from between his splayed fingers. Uriel let out a roar as two demons landed on him from above, having hid in the rafters of the abandoned farmhouse. Castiel threw the demon to the side to race towards Uriel, grabbing a demon and hurling it into the wood of the wall several meters to his right. He glanced at Uriel to make sure he could hold his own before running after the demon, slapping his hand over it’s face to finish the job. He spotted Anna near the entrance of the farmhouse, tangling with two brawny demons at least twice her size. Anna had chosen the vessel of a slim girl, which Uriel had scoffed at the moment he saw her. Castiel thought it was a smart choice, her small frame able to dodge where Uriel’s stocky one could not, which was proven when he saw Anna dodge around one of the demons to jam her blade into his heart. Castiel’s vessel, Jimmy Novak, was a decent sized man, slim and strong, a comfortable balance. While he was thinking a demons came up behind him, grabbing his shoulder painfully in a tight grip. Before he could react, Uriel had clubbed him in the jaw, the demon falling to the hard farmhouse floor in a heap. Uriel placed his hand on the demons face, light bleeding out from between his fingers as the demon was destroyed. Looking around for more, Castiel was relieved to see they had taken care of them all. The three of them had walked into the farmhouse only to realize it was an ambush, the other members of the garrison trying to destroy another demon hideout miles away. He looked over at his two comrades, then began walking out of the barn and into the grass, knowing they would follow. It was night, the stars shining bright overhead of Lorch, where they’d come to searching for demon nests. Castiel faced the abandoned grain fields, fascinated by the apparent years and years of labor humans had poured into it’s creation.  
“Are we just going to stay here in this moldy barn all night?” Uriel snorted, coming up on Castiel’s right side. Anna came up more quietly, gazing as Castiel did over the barren field.  
“No. We will rendezvous with the rest of the garrison.” he answered quietly.  
“Are you going to thank me for saving your ass back there?”  
Castiel gave him a side look, frowning,  
“It was under my control.”  
“Bull. Without me you’d have been in a demon choke hold. You’ve gotten a little rusty, Castiel.”  
“Watch your tongue, Uriel,” he turned, facing the angel and giving him a hard look, “I am not above sending you back to training if you cannot learn to watch your mouth.”  
“Easy, Castiel. Balthazar has more of a mouth than I do, and you don’t get this testy with him.”  
“I do not control Balthazar.”  
“Clearly.” Uriel snorted. Before Castiel could punish him, Anna suddenly tensed beside him, her head cocking to the side as if she were listening to something.  
“Anna?” he asked, concerned. Anna stayed silent for a few more moments,  
“It’s Heaven. We’ve been summoned back.” she reported.  
“We? The whole garrison or just us?” Uriel said.  
She shook her head, “Everyone.” Castiel blinked slowly, unable to think of a reason why they’d call his garrison back to Heaven, let alone every angel stationed on Earth. It hadn’t been long since he’d left, only a little over two decades. What could have happened?  
“Alright. Let us go.”  
They were outside God’s Palace, a place that held more bad memories for Castiel than good. The sight filled him with an almost nostalgic pain, and he had to fight just to maintain his composure in the crowded area. He saw Anna giving him a confused look, and he turned away quickly, instead staring at the steps of the palace. Before long, Zachariah appeared at the top of the steps, ready to speak. Castiel had not see Michael or Raphael since Lucifer, the two preferring to rule from afar, so it didn’t surprise him to see Zachariah in charge of the assembly.  
“Angels of Heaven, you’ve been called here on the most urgent of business,” he began, eyes sweeping the crowd before going on, “We must react quickly, there isn’t time to waste. We have been charged with a rescue. The army of Heaven will march into Hell, and retrieve a man from the pit.” the assembly roared to life, every angel talking all at once. Castiel looked over to where Balthazar stood with his garrison, the other angel looking at him stunned. Zachariah stood silently, watching the angels panic a while longer before a boom shook the ground, causing the angels to look back up to where he stood, all business.  
“Now that I’ve got your attention again, we can stop wasting time. Hell is not easy to get into, there are walls and walls of demons, demons like you’ve never seen. They aren’t dancing around in cute little vessels like they do on Earth, these ones are powered by Hell power, and are serious pains. It’s going to take every soldier we have in our arsenal to get to this man, but it will be worth it. This man will save the world, but he can’t do it from where he is. Once we get in, we will be fighting harder than we ever have before to get him out. If you get to him, take him and run. Run like you’ve never run before. He is our goal, and nothing else other than saving him matters. Do you understand, soldiers?” the angels below called out from all around Castiel, shouting consent.  
“Then let’s go fetch him.”

* * *

  
It was cold. The humans always depicted Hell as this burning fire, the flames licking at your feet as you walked amidst the burning souls. It wasn’t anything like that. After they had made it past the initial front of demons, slashing through their lines, they had burst in to this eerie cold, so cold it had made his muscles contract. And then the sounds. The wails, the cries, the neverending moans of pain. Moans of the fallen soldiers, moans of women, and at some points, to Castiels shock and horror, the moans of children. But they had no time to answer their cries for help, the spirits of the damned reaching out when they saw the light of the angels passing by, and trying to grab them, to hold them there, to cling to the light. Castiel struggled not to grab the first one he came across and lift her into the air, making the harrowing journey back to Earth. But he couldn’t.  
He had to wait.  
They moved deeper and deeper into Hell, the cries becoming sharper and more desperate the farther they went. Castiel was at the front of the army, slashing through demons with his blade as if they were no more than wheat to be cut down with a sharp sickle. He scanned the area in front of him as he flew onward, keeping his eye out for the soul of the man they’d been fighting for for what seemed like an eternity. He was tired, his wings felt like they’d been ripped to shreds, and in the back of his mind he knew they’d lost an innumerable amount of angels. What was so important about this one man? Why was this man worth the lives of hundreds of angels? Zachariah hadn’t told them anything, and right now, when he was ankle deep in the bodies of both demons, and his fallen brothers, he found himself more than frustrated at the lack of information. It was wrong to question the plan, but he was too angry and tired to care. He swiped his blade at a demons jugular, marching on when the demon began to gurgle and gasp through his blood. He continued to search, flying ahead of the army after a while to widen his search. He came up to flat tables, each one accessorized by various tools and chains. He turned away in disgust, flying past the tortured souls, unable to face their cries of joy when they saw him coming, which soon turn to sobs of desperation when he flew past. He continued to fly past different tables, on and on, until he thought his tattered wings would fall off. Then he saw a table glowing. All the souls in Hell shone, some brighter than others, but this one caught his eye. As Castiel flew closer, he spotted a man on the table, with another man standing next to it, slashing into the first with an efficiency Castiel flinched at. He stopped, staring at the soul of the man on the table, searching for the righteous man. It was not him. He looked at the other figure, who had paused in his cutting to look up at Castiel, his eyes blinking, dazzled by the bright light he emitted. He scanned the soul, swallowing hard when he realized the torturer was the man they’d been searching for.  
They’d been too late.  
He flew towards the man, reaching out to grab him, and lift them both out of the pit. The man cried out, jumping away before Castiel could get a grip.  
“No! Take him! Please!” Castiel ignored him, diving forward again to try and grab the hysterical man. He evaded once again, his eyes brimming with tears as he pleaded, “Save someone else! Don’t waste it, please.” Castiel looked over his shoulder at the sound of footfall, a horde of demons finally noticing him by the tables. He didn’t have time to argue with this man, so he snatched him by the shoulder, gripping him harder than he had intended, judging by the shout of pain the man gave. He began to rise, higher and higher, all the while trying to hang on to the struggling man. He spotted the light overhead coming into view, and he flew faster, the man’s weight becoming nothing as he could see his mission’s end. At last he flew up and over the edge of the pit, landing on the grass with an ungraceful thud. He straightened his back, gently releasing his grip on the man’s soul onto the grass beside him, before sending a call out to every angel that was listening,  
“Dean Winchester is saved.”

* * *

  
Dean’s soul was broken beyond comprehension. It lay on the ground in front of him, shivering and tattered, making him to wonder how it was even there at all. Castiel raked his eyes up and down the glowing mass, unable to figure out where to start rebuilding. Zachariah had sent him a message from where he still fought in Hell, saying he needed to rebuild the soul quickly before it tried to depart for Heaven. Dean’s soul had become oddly silent after they had landed, only twitching occasionally to let Castiel know he was alright. Lifting his hands, Castiel lay them on his soul, lifting them quickly in surprise when the soul let out a gut wrenching scream. The sound brought Castiel back to a day by the lake, when a young boy had run into a small table, and had begun to cry out in pain. Castiel blinked. Why hadn’t he recognized him from before? He should have remembered his name, the name of that little boy who had picked up the snake all those years ago, the boy now laying in a heap at his feet, broken and screaming. He remembered that boy, and as he looked down at his soul, he couldn’t help but feel guilt. He had promised. And he had failed to protect him. Castiel felt a new determination rising in him, pressing his hands more firmly against the still wailing soul. He had failed to protect him from whatever had done this, but he would not fail saving him.  
The work was taxing, it was taking everything Castiel had, and then some, just to rebuild the basics of the soul. He poured his own essence in, trying to repair anything and everything that he could. He used elements from around the clearing, water, earth, and later, as he worked well into the night, star light. The elements were vital, the tears mending as he wove them into the soul with great care. Dean’s cries were becoming softer and softer, which Castiel decided was a good sign, and he kept working, unwilling to let himself stop for even a moment. On and on he worked, unsure of how much time was passing, or how the other angels were faring down below. At last, he was finished, and he stood back a little to assess his work, satisfied by what he saw. The soul was beautiful, it’s soft light beaming at him. Castiel smiled softly as the soul looked up at him, staring at him with wonder.  
“It is time to return, Dean Winchester. Are you ready?” his soul only stared up at him. Castiel knelt on one knee in front of the soul, placing two fingers gently to it’s temple. Castiel blinked, and the soul of the righteous man was returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Thank you so much for the support so far. This chapter was my favourite to write so far, so I hope you liked it. Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From here on I'm going to try and keep it as cannon as possible without just basically retyping Season 4 and adding Destiel. So if I change things/ leave out certain events, that's my reasoning.

Dean had always believed that his life was pretty uncomplicated. It had always been just him and his brother, and occasionally Bobby, out there doing what they did best. It had all been black and white, find evil, kill evil, go back to a shitty motel room when it was all over, and repeat. Saving people, hunting things, the whole nine yards. When the Hell business had come up, it had made his life a little grey, but hell if they weren’t going to try and figure out a way back to black and white.  
But they hadn’t.  
He had gone to Hell. But even that hadn’t been simple. Because here he was, sitting at Bobby’s kitchen table, staring at his beer without taking one sip. The rest of the house was out picking up groceries, Sam so excited to have him back that he insisted on making a run for more food, which Bobby had decided to go with him on. Dean had been more than grateful. He needed the quiet to think that the other two hunters might not give him otherwise. And boy, was there a lot to think about.  
 _I’m the one who gripped you tight and raised you from Perdition.._  
His thoughts flew back to that barn, where he and Bobby had tried to summon whatever had brought him back. Then he had actually arrived, wind blowing in from behind him, as he marched forward towards them. They had fired round after round into the guy, but he had just kept walking straight, not even flinching. His eyes had actually blazed, like movie effect blazed, as he came up to Dean and Bobby and halted.  
“Who are you?” he had growled at the man, with his dirty trenchcoat and wild hair going everywhere.  
And he had told them, or rather, he had told Dean, choosing to put Bobby to sleep instead. Dean was pretty sure Bobby was still pissed about that. So the thing, Castiel, had told him he was an angel. Of the Lord. And he had kept a straight face when he had said it, too. Dean wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or punch the table. Up until that night, angels didn’t exist. No one had ever seen one, and no one ever talked about them as if they were anything other than the little statues mother’s put by their baby’s cribs. But here was an angel, and he didn’t look anything like the one’s at Bible camp.  
“And why would an angel, rescue me from Hell?” Because for the life of him he couldn’t come up with one single reason why this guy would march into that pit to try and save him.  
“Good things do happen, Dean” he replied, walking forward.  
“Not in my experience.”  
“What’s the matter?” Castiel asked, cocking his head to the side, searching his face, when his eyes suddenly widened. “You don’t think you deserve to be saved..” He sounded shocked, as if he didn’t know what Dean had done down there, and maybe he didn’t. All the souls that he had tortured, all the screams he had caused with a simple twist of his knife. He must have seen it though, if he was telling the truth about saving him.  
“Why’d you do it?”  
Castiel’s confused expression had dropped at Dean’s question, his eyes narrowing and his chin lowering.  
“Because God commanded it. Because we have work for you.” And then he had disappeared. Not even a poof a white smoke as a warning, he just plain vanished. About then Bobby had woken up, and they had made their way from there to Bobby’s house. After a loud argument in the car, which involved bringing up the time Bobby had gone to Tampa, much to the older hunter’s embarrassment, they decided they would wait a bit to tell Sam about Castiel. Really about angels at all. Dean knew that Sam was into all that Church stuff they had fed him at the Catholic school John had dropped them off at back when Sam was seven. Even through all the shit they’d been through, Sam had held on to the whole Jesus and Angels thing. He just wanted to postpone Sam’s eventual fangirling when he heard what had rescued Dean. Just thinking about the whole thing caused Dean to take a deep swallow of the beer. He heard the rumble of the Impala from outside, and then the screech of her doors being opened and closed. Sam and Bobby came in through the front door, each toting two paper shopping bags filled to the brim. Dean grimaced as one of the bags in Sam’s arms had a carrot top dangling from the top, a sure sign Sam had overdone it with his whole cow diet life style.  
“I hope there is at least a package of patties in there, otherwise I’m taking the Impala and leaving”  
Bobby drew out the meat in an over dramatic fashion, throwing it to Dean.  
“Make yourself useful. Just because you’re back doesn't mean I’m gonna be your maid.” Sam snorted his laughter as Dean begrudgingly got up from the chair, opening the fridge to put in the burgers. He helped them unload and put away the rest of the groceries, whacking Sam with one of his celery stalks as he walked by. Eventually everything was unpacked, and the three sat down at the wooden table, beers in hand. Sam cleared his throat pointedly, and Dean knew that the shit storm was here.  
“Dean-” before he could say anything else, Castiel had appeared in front of their table, flanked by a large, dark skinned figure. The three hunters whipped out their guns and had them trained on the two in seconds, eyeing them warily. Castiel ignored the other two hunters, his intense blue eyes only looking at Dean. No one said anything, and it was actually starting to get a little uncomfortable, all of them just standing and staring at each other. Eventually, Castiel said in a quiet, formal voice,  
“Hello, Dean”  
“Dean, why does this thing know your name?” Sam asked, eyes never leaving the two in front of them. Dean hesitated, throwing a glance at Bobby before replying.  
“Sam, this is Castiel.” he indicated the angel in the trench coat. “He’s an angel.”  
Dean watched as Sam blinked several times, lowering his gun slightly, unsure of how to act towards an angel in Bobby’s kitchen. Castiel spared Sam a quick glance before refocusing on Dean again, which was super creepy.  
“An angel? How the hell do you know an angel?” Sam’s voice got a little louder.  
“I saved him from Hell.” Castiel replied to Sam calmly, not even looking at the tall hunter. Sam huffed in disbelief, looking at Bobby for some sort of backup, but Bobby could only shrug his shoulders. If they had wanted to kill them they would have done it by now, so Dean lowered his gun to his side, Sam and Bobby doing the same. Castiel glanced behind him,  
“This is Uriel, another angel in my garrison.” Uriel eyed all three of them, his lip curling in a sneer.  
“So..this is our righteous man. Kind of small, don’t you think?”  
Dean couldn’t believe this dick had come all the way from who knows where, could be Heaven for all he cared, just to call him short.  
“Tell me, Dean Winchester, was your small, insignificant little life worth hundreds of dead angels?” Uriel stepped forward, bringing himself face to face with Dean. Before Dean could show this angel just where he could stuff it, Castiel had pulled Uriel back behind him, gruffly shoving him back and away from Dean.  
“We did not come here for you to insult them.” Castiel murmured low and threatening, glaring at Uriel. Turning back to face Dean, he continued.  
“The work that I told you about, is why we are here. You have already met the demon Lilith. She is now trying to free Lucifer from Hell.”  
Dean stared at Castiel. This guy was really bad at delivering bad news. No lead up, no ‘I know you just got back, but….’, no nothing. Just throws the facts out there, and tells you to deal with it. He wasn’t sure if he appreciated the honesty or not.  
“Wait, Lilith is trying to free Lucifer? Like the real Lucifer?” Sam frowned.  
Castiel tilted his head to one side, a thing Dean was sure he’d done innumerable time with humans.  
“That is what I said. Lucifer is trapped inside a cage in Hell. This cage can only be unlocked by an angel or demon who can break 66 seals.” Castiel explained.  
“And if I’m hearin’ this right, you want us to stop her?” Bobby said slowly.  
“No.” He frowned at the three of them. “We will stop her. You will help to stop the seals from breaking.”  
“Hold on, you said there were 66 of these seals, right?” Sam asked, going on when Castiel nodded. “So why not just post angels at each of the seals? Don’t you have enough?”  
“There are over 600 possible seals she can break in order to free him from the cage. She only needs 66 in order to complete her goal. We have no way of knowing what her strategy is. Already she has broken four of the seals.”  
She’s already got four down? He looked up to see Castiel’s gaze centered on him once again.  
“We have no time to waste. Even now, Lilith’s underlings are hard at work breaking the seals. Right now they are working on one in Austin, Texas. That is where you must go.”  
“Hang on, aren’t you coming with us?” Dean asked. He was still new to this whole angel thing, but he figured they’d be more of the guardian types. Although the angel standing in front of him didn’t exactly match the cartoony, perch on your shoulder types. Castiel shook his head.  
“Heaven has more pressing issue to deal with. Stop the seal from breaking, and then stop more.” Before Dean could say anything else, the angels were gone, leaving three confused hunters.  
“Was anyone, ever planning on telling me that Dean had been saved by angels?” Sam shouted at Dean and Bobby.  
“I needed time to figure out what the hell had happened! I would have told you eventually!”  
“Oh, eventually. Well, Dean, in case you haven’t noticed, eventually just showed up and told us to stop the fucking Apocalypse!” Sam stepped into his space, his nostrils flaring angrily as he glared down at him.  
“Both of you idjits knock it off,” Bobby pushed them back with his arms, stepping in between them. Sam continued to glare at Dean from across the kitchen, while Dean flexed his fingers at his sides. “Like he said, we don’t have a lot of time. I’m not a fan of taking orders from a bunch of feathered preppies, but it sounds like we don’t really have a choice here. Angels or no angels, this Lilith thing don’t sound like something we can ignore. So unless you two got a better suggestion on where we can start, we’re headin’ to Austin.” Bobby looked at the two of them, and when he only got silence as a response, he walked out the door.  
“Alright then. Let’s get goin’.”

* * *

  
They had been driving for hours, Dean at the wheel, Bobby riding shotgun, and Sam sitting in the back. Dean hummed softly to the radio as he drove, bumping his head along to the Metallica playing on low. The other two hunters were sound asleep, Bobby’s snoring occasionally blocking out the music. Even with the heavy metal playing, Dean could feel his eyes beginning to drift shut, his need for sleep overriding the need to get to Austin. He yawned, his mouth stretching wide, a sound of exhaustion escaping him. He saw a road sign advertising cheap motel rooms, and he turned off at the appropriate exit, making it to the motel’s parking lot and turning off the Impala’s rumbling engine. Heaving a heavy sigh, he shook Bobby awake, dodging the blow that was thrown in return. He reached backwards to do the same for Sam, ignoring the plaintive whines for five more minutes. He stepped out, checking them in for two rooms. When he returned Bobby and Sam had unloaded the trunk and were waiting beside the car, looking like hell.  
“Come on Sleeping Beauties, we’re almost there,” Dean said, chuckling at Bobby’s muttered ‘bite me’. He unlocked Bobby’s room, handing the older hunter the key as he walked in and slammed the door behind him. Sam and him walked to the next door down, Dean quickly unlocking the door to step inside. He tossed his duffel onto the bed nearest the door, following it’s landing himself with a soft thud. He felt his face hit the cheap fabric, sighing into the comforter that still smelled faintly of bleach. He listened faintly to the water turning on in the bathroom, Sam probably brushing his teeth. What a dork, he thought affectionately. He had missed a lot of things when he was in Hell. He’d missed the Impala, Bobby, and Sam, obviously. But while he was on those tables, having his soul torn apart right in front of him, all he’d thought about was being able to annoy Sammy. He’d thought about how he’d never be able to call him a nerd for reading all those huge books, or he’d never have the chance to ruffle his brother’s long hair, in hopes that he’d get a huff, annoyed as hell. And he’d never hear his little brother call him a jerk. Or be able to respond with bitch. That hurt more than anything else when he was down there, far worse than any blade they used to cut him open.  
“Hello, Dean.”  
Dean was so surprised by the voice that he toppled off the bed, scrambling to prop himself up. When he finally got his bearings, he looked up to see Castiel standing stiffly by the door, his head cocked to the side. That was embarrassing.  
“What the hell! You couldn’t have knocked or something?”  
“Why would I knock?” Dean groaned at the question, standing up and facing the angel.  
“What is it?”  
“You are no longer needed in Dallas.” Dean frowned at the cryptic answer.  
“Why not?”  
“The seal has already been broken. We are sending you to stop another one.”  
“Whoa, whoa, hold on, who’s giving all these orders? God?” Dean didn’t miss that flash of pain that crossed Castiel’s face before it bled away into his familiarly stoic expression.  
“No. They come from my superiors.”  
“Which are…” Dean trailed off, hoping Castiel would fill in the blanks he seemed so desperate to keep from him.  
“None of your concern.”  
“None of my concern? You’ve got me and Sammy and Bobby chasing after your messes, and we don’t get to know who the hell’s calling the shots?” Castiel stepped into his space, his face a few inches from Dean’s. His eyes were narrowed, burning that power Dean had witnessed when he’d first seen him burst through those barn doors. His voice was low, rumbling dangerously,  
“You should show me some respect. I dragged you out of Hell, I can throw you back in.” Dean couldn’t move, he felt pinned by the angel’s aggressive stare. Sam came out of the bathroom, stopping in his tracks when he saw his brother standing inches from the angry angel.  
“Uh, guys?” Castiel stepped back a few steps, expression once again calm. It was beyond creepy.  
“Your mission no longer lies in Austin. There is a mayor in Denver, Colorado that is a seal. He is a good man, he is devoted to his people, and hard working. The demons will be working hard to corrupt this man in whatever way possible, and if they do, the seal is broken. They need to accomplish this before July 17th. You must go immediately.”  
“I hate to break it to you, Castiel, but we can’t go anywhere now.” Dean yawned.  
“I do not understand.”  
“Sleep, Cas. We need sleep.” Dean explained. Castiel blinked in surprise, whether it was from the nickname or the idea of sleep, Dean would never know. Finally Castiel nodded.  
“Very well.” And then he was gone. He looked over at Sam, who had a weird smirk on his face.  
“What?”  
“Nothing” Sam said, raising his hands in surrender. Dean gave him another confused look before heading into the bathroom to change. Later, as he drifted off to sleep on the cheap mattress, his face pressed into the rough fabric of the pillow, he thought about Castiel, and all the damn secrets he was keeping.

* * *

  
They were up at dawn, or at least Bobby decided they would be. The light was barely filtering in through the crappy blinds on the windows before they heard aggressive pounding on the door, with shouts to get their asses up. They would have ignored him, slept another hour at least, if Bobby hadn’t yelled that he’d gotten coffee. That had gotten them out of bed, just like Bobby had probably planned. Sam was on his laptop researching, as always, while Bobby was reading some dusty book, as always. Dean was sitting on the bed, cleaning all of their guns and making sure they were all in working order. It was already dangerous enough hunting monsters and demons, they didn’t need to add faulty weapons to the list.  
“So I’ve been reading here on the angels” Bobby said, “Figuring we should know what we’re dealing with here. It was hard finding a book that had anything on em’, since no one even knew they actually existed. Says here angels appear on Earth in the form of vessels. Unlike demons, they need to have permission from the vessel before they can enter.”  
“Who would let someone take over their body like a muppet, willingly?” Dean snorted incredulously.  
“Usually devout men and women, church going folk. All the angels are brothers and sisters, and refer to each other as such. ‘As their Father is One, and He is God’, it says. Angel’s were created before man, and later when man was created, were given the role of servants and guardians.”  
Dean snorted, “Somehow I didn’t get the whole, servant vibe from them.”  
“What else, Bobby.” Sam asked.  
“Says here they’re incredibly powerful, a whole shit ton of powers. They’re like demons in a way, super strength, can appear and disappear, and near impossible to kill.”  
“Well that’s great if they decide to turn tables on us.” Dean groaned into his coffee.  
“Does it say a way how, Bobby, in case?” Sam asked. Bobby shook his head.  
“Nothing in here. Just goes on about Lucifer’s fall. But you kids went to Catholic school for a week, you got it covered.” Sam hummed agreement. After a while, the hunters packed up their stuff and piled into the Impala, Dean unable to keep the smile off his face at hearing his baby roar to life, even after hearing it several other times since he’d been back. He ignored Sam’s amused smile and turned out of the parking lot, hitting the highway that led to Denver.

* * *

  
They arrived several hours later, pulling into another motel parking lot and repeating the check in process. Sam had opened his laptop to do some ‘proper research’ while Bobby read the local papers, trying to figure out what he could locally. Dean hated research. He hated research more than he hated Sam’s snoring when he had a cold. And that was a lot. So he went back to cleaning the guns, listening to Bobby and Sam nerd out over the history of the town.  
“So the mayor Castiel was talking about is named Merle Evers. Married for ten years, two kids, nice house, nice guy. Not a bad spot on his record, official and unofficial.” Sam reported, sipping another coffee.  
“Everyone loves him. Schools, parents, politicians, everyone. Guy raises money for charities, done wonders for the local economy, and even rescued a damn cat from a tree.” Bobby snorted, tossing the paper on the table. Dean nodded, eyes focusing on the shotgun in his hands.  
“Cas said the demons needed to get this guy to go Darth Vader before July 17th. Any idea why that day?” Dean asked, turning over the shotgun carefully. He heard Sam typing furiously, the clicks on the keyboard suddenly stopping as Sam spoke.  
“July 17th, known as the Feast of Baal. Apparently he’s some super badass demon. Baal is known as the demon of corruption, he apparently gets his kicks out of watching perfectly good men fall to the dark side. In Biblical times, people would sacrifice honest men at his altar, basically worshipping the demon.”  
“Alright, so we need to keep this guy, Merl, on the good side of the force until then.”  
“Dude, what’s with all the Star Wars references?”  
“They’re good movies, okay?” Dean defended.  
“Alright, how’re we plannin’ on keepin’ this guy safe?” Bobby steered them back on topic.  
“Undercover job?” Sam offered. Dean and Bobby nodded. “According to the mayor’s website, there are four job openings in the building. Janitor, personal assistant, secretary, and office maintenance.”  
“I don’t care what I do, but I ain’t gonna be a personal assistant.” Bobby scoffed.  
“I’ll take maintence, I guess. Sam you should be the PA, since you’re a real people person.” Dean grinned, slapping his hand on Sam’s back. Sam shot him a glare, and nodded grudgingly. “Alright, Bobby. That leaves you with Janitor or secretary.”  
“Guess I’m using a mop for the next week.”  
“I don’t know, I think you’d look good in a pencil skirt.” Dean laughed with Sam, dodging Bobby’s empty coffee cup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> July 17th is just a made up date for the story, Baal is a widely interpreted name, basically all the versions of him are he's evil, whether hes a demon or false god.   
> Thank you for the kudos and reviews so far! They help me to write when I get stuck somewhere in the story.


	10. Chapter 10

Castiel did not know what he had expected when he came face to face with Dean Winchester in that broken down barn, but it hadn’t been that. The few people he’d met, the very few, had been overwhelmed with joy to meet an angel, and fallen to their knees weeping, praying for him to help them in their plight. Dean had neither kneeled, nor wept. He had fired shot after shot into his vessel, eyes going wide when he realized it was doing no good. Then he had glared mistrustfully when Castiel approached, jaw clenching, blade at his side. Until it wasn’t at his side anymore, and was lodged in Castiel’s chest. He’d pulled it out, throwing it into the straw at his feet, and then put the older hunter in a comatose state, completely safe. And then he’d explained to Dean who he was. And he hadn’t believed him. Which wasn’t surprising, others hadn’t believed him when he had told them his identity as well. But the conversation kept playing over and over in his head.  
“Good things do happen, Dean”  
“Not in my experience”  
“What’s the matter?” And he had looked, looking into the hunter’s face, scanning every wrinkle, every worry line, every tiny scar. And then he’d focused on his green eyes, not a vibrant green, no, but a more subtle shade, and had almost taken a step back with the realization.  
“You don’t think you deserve to be saved”  
An owl hooted in the night, bringing him out of his reflections. He surveyed his location. He was directly in front of an empty elementary school, all the children having left for home hours ago, safe from the terror that waited inside. The owl hooted again, this time twice, and Castiel began walking towards the entrance, ascending the steps. Uriel and Anna fell in behind him, neither saying a word throughout the climb. At last reaching the top, they waited. The owl sounded once more, hooting three times. Castiel nodded, and they burst inside.

* * *

  
“That could have gone better.” Uriel gritted through his teeth, holding a gauze wrapping in his mouth. The three angels were perched on desks, taking care of their respective wounds in an empty classroom after the fight.  
“It went as well as could be expected. The demon is dead, and poses no more threat to the children. The seal is safe.” Castiel said. A sound of light wings fluttered, and a cheerful Balthazar appeared in front of the three, unscratched. Uriel gave him an angry glare.  
“Well, don’t you all look wonderful.” Balthazar chirped, walking over to look at the gash in Uriel’s arm.  
“Piss off.” Uriel growled, clutching his arm.  
“Lovely to see you too, brother. Honestly, how bad could one little demon have been?”  
“She brought friends.” Anna said, trying to pop her shoulder back into it’s socket. Balthazar clucked his tongue, walking over to place his fingers on her forehead, mouth hanging open when nothing happened.  
“What the Hell?” he looked at Castiel, eyes wide  
“Our powers are somehow blocked here. The demon must have put special sigils here somewhere. It is not of import. We’ll be leaving soon for the Winchesters.”  
“The Winchesters?” Balthazar asked, unable to keep his interest from leaking into his voice, one brow raised.  
“The mud monkey we spent years trudging through blood to get to.” Uriel spat, fumbling with tying the bandage. Balthazar oh’d, walking over to help him tie the wrap, receiving a mumbled thanks in return. Turning back to Castiel, he asked,  
“So, what do you need to see our Righteous Man for?”  
“It is necessary to check on him and his brother and another hunter, and the status of their mission. They are protecting a seal in Denver.”  
“You’re playing babysitter for him?” Balthazar smirked, rubbing his jaw.  
“Of course not.”  
“Then why are you going?”  
“We need to make sure they are doing their job.” Castiel said gruffly, turning to his own wounded arm, marred by gashes. Balthazar chuckled, turning to Uriel.  
“What’s he like then?”  
“Annoying as Hell. I’ve only seen him once, and that was enough. Ask Castiel.” Balthazar turned to Castiel.  
“I went to talk to him and his brother in their hotel room.”  
“In their hotel room? My, my.” He winked at Castiel. “So then, Castiel, what’s he like.” Castiel paused to think, trying to choose his words carefully. Dean Winchester was not easy to describe.  
“Stubborn, untrusting, disobedient, and arrogant.” Balthazar outright laughed, clutching his stomach.  
“Wow, Castiel, tell us how you really feel. So you hate him?” Castiel tilted his head to one side.  
“I don’t hate him.”  
“Well it sure sounds like it.”  
“We have to go.” Castiel stood, wincing when his arm screamed in protest, pain shooting through it.  
“Um, I think you need a bandage first, brother.”  
“It will be fine. I will take care of it when I am out of this building.”  
“Alright then,” Balthazar shrugged. He turned to leave, abruptly spinning around and snapping his fingers. “Hey, that reminds me. I’m heading to Ontario to help stop another seal. Think I could borrow your crew?”  
“Fuck no.” Uriel blurted. Balthazar ignored him.  
“It shouldn’t take more than you to handle the Winchesters. You can go check on them, and we’ll go stop another seal. Two birds with one stone.” Castiel blinked at the reference. “I mean, it’ll get more done if we split up.” He hesitated for a moment before consenting to the change of plans. He wouldn’t be with the hunters for very long, just to make sure they were on track. He nodded to Anna and Uriel, pointedly ignoring the glare Uriel sent him as he walked out of the classroom. He made it out of the school, focusing his thoughts on the Winchesters hotel room before vanishing into the night’s thin air.

* * *

  
“At seven? Who the hell starts at sev- Holy shit!” Dean yelled as Castiel suddenly appeared in front of the three hunters gathered at the wooden table, a huge gash in his right arm. The other two hunters had instinctively reached for their sidearm, but Dean could only focus on the bloody cut, now dripping onto the carpet.  
“Hello.” The angel dipped his head in greeting.  
“What the hell, Cas!” Dean stood up, walking over to look at the angel’s arm. Castiel looked down as well, seeming surprised by both the bloody gash and Dean’s concern.  
“It is nothing, Dean.”  
“Bullshit. Your arm’s staining the carpet!”  
“Dean, your concern is appreciated, but my vessel has been through much greater injury.” Castiel pressed his fingers to his own forehead, the gash immediately healing under his touch. Dean could only stare amazed at the place where the cut had once been. Sam had by now come up to stand beside Dean, also watching the angel’s extraordinary healing powers. Dean was afraid Sam would start asking a million questions about how it all worked, and a bunch of other nerdy shit, so he quickly spoke up before he and Cas had to deal with all of that.  
“What are you doing here? Did another seal break?”  
“No. I came to check on your progress.”  
“Uh, it’s all going pretty good, Cas.” Sam said tentatively, still staring at the angel’s arm. “We’re going undercover at his office tomorrow.”  
“Undercover?” Castiel tilted his head to one side in that way that was becoming familiar to Dean.  
“Yah. Pretending to work there, getting close, that sort of thing.” Dean explained.  
“I don’t understand. Why do you not just tell him he’s in danger.” Dean snorted.  
“Because mayors don’t tend to take demonic threats on their life very well. Easier to lie.” Castiel frowned. “So...yeah, we’re doing fine on the whole, protection detail. Anything else?” Sam elbowed him in the side, causing Dean to wince. “Hey!”  
“Quit being a dick, Dean.”  
“What? We don’t need a babysitter.”  
“You could at least ask him if he’s coming.”  
“And how the hell would that work?”  
“There’s one job left, office secretary. It’d be good to have more backup, if this Feast of Baal thing is going to be as big as we’ve read about.”  
“Forget it, we don’t need more help” Dean said, turning away to put his pistol on the table.  
“Bobby, what do you think?”  
“Sam..” Dean warned.  
“I think it’d help. From everythin’ we’ve read, demons ain’t too much of a threat when it comes to angels.” Castiel had remained silent during the exchange, his eyes going back and forth between the three bickering hunters. Dean had remembered what he had said before, that they had more important things to do then help him, Sam, and Bobby. Dean stood fuming silently as Bobby and Sam talked about the pros of the angel coming, leaning against the hard table as they talked. He looked over and realized Cas was looking at him with an odd expression, his eyes narrowed, his frown somehow deeper. It was as if the angel could read his thoughts, and it was creeping him the fuck out. Dean shifted uncomfortably. They really needed to have a conversation about staring.  
“Just think about it, Dean” Sam sighed, carding a hand through his hair, looking beyond done with the issue. “This would all go a lot better if he were coming with us.”  
“You know what, fine. If he wants to go, he can go.” Dean threw up his hands, turning to inspect the gun. Inside though, he was feeling pretty smug. The angel had already made it perfectly clear he wasn’t going to help them, so Dean wasn’t worried about any of it. Castiel would say some shit about having more important things to do then bum around with mere humans, and then they could do their job as always.  
“Yes.” Dean blinked.  
“You’re coming?” Sam asked, damn him.  
“I will assist you, undercover, as you put it.” Sam shot Dean a smug grin, to which he responded with a hand gesture he felt he was going to need to use more and more.  
“Alright then, now that that’s out of the way we can get down to business.” Bobby opened a folder. “Here’s everyone’s work ID. Don’t. Lose. It. Or I’ll blow your kneecap to Kingdom Come.” He glanced at Cas. “I’ll have to get yours tomorrow morning. You wouldn’t happen to have a picture of yerself?” Dean snorted, imagining a line of angels in Heaven waiting to get their Heavenly ID picture taken. He was surprised when Cas slowly reached into his pocket, drawing out a worn leather wallet. He opened it and drew out a card, Dean looking over Bobby’s shoulder to get a better look as it was handed to the older hunter. It was a drivers license, with Cas’ picture on it and everything. But the name wasn’t Cas’.  
“Jimmy Novak?” Sam asked him, taking the card for a better look.  
“My vessel.” He responded, putting the wallet away in one of the trench coat's pocket. Bobby nodded, taking the ID from Sam and putting it into the folder.  
“You’ll be working as a secretary in an office. You’ll basically be taking and making calls for the mayor. Not a hard job. You understand?” Castiel nodded.  
“Good. We have to be at the mayor’s office by seve-” Dean interrupted with a loud groan. “Seven a.m. We’ll spend the day scopin’ the office out, and puttin’ down protective measures.” Bobby stood, making his way towards the door. “Get some sleep, we ain’t messin’ around tomorrow.” He closed the door behind him, leaving the two hunters and the angel standing in the middle of the room. Dean looked at the two queen beds in the room, sighing inwardly. He really didn’t want to sleep on the floor tonight, but he would if it meant avoiding potentially awkward situations.  
“So, Cas, which bed do you want?”He said cheerfully, putting a huge grin on his face. His smile grew wider as Sam shot him a glare. The two hunters had already claimed beds, Sam knowing full well that whichever one Cas chose would end up putting that person out on the floor. Since angels were apparently real, praying to God to let him sleep in a bed didn't seem so far fetched anymore.  
“I don’t need sleep, Dean. I’m an angel.”  
“So, where are you gonna stay?” Castiel walked over to the wooden table and pulled out a chair, sitting down.  
“I thought I’d just sit here quietly.” Dean looked at Sam, who looked like he was trying not to laugh. Dean shrugged, going into the bathroom to change. When he came out a few moments later, clad in an old t-shirt and loose sweatpants, he was amused to see Sam in deep conversation with Cas over his healing powers. Dean hung by the door, the other two hadn't seen him yet, and he watched as Sam asked him question after question, the angel’s low, gravelly voice giving him complicated answers. At least they sounded complicated to Dean, Sam on the other hand was nodding in understanding. Deciding they’d had enough nerd talk, Dean walked into the room, nudging Sam with his foot to get going as he walked past him. Sam picked up his things and walked into the bathroom, leaving Dean to try and make small talk. Which was hard, because how do you make small talk with a celestial being. Was he supposed to ask what Heaven was like? Ask him if Jesus was really as cool as everyone says he is? Talk about their mission tomorrow? He sat down at the foot of his bed, facing Cas chair. The angel looked tense, or at least very rigid. It’s a funny sight, Dean relaxed in his pajamas, sitting across from a serious angel in a dusty trenchcoat. Cas sat with his hands on his knees, staring at Dean. He supposed he had to say something first.  
“Are you a good liar.” Cas looked at him like he’d just grown a pair of bunny ears. What kind of question was that, Winchester? But it was kind of important to know, considering they’d be spending a good amount of time on this job doing it.  
“I’ve never lied before. It was never..necessary.” Cas muttered, eyes focusing on the ground.  
“Well, there’s going to be a lot of lying tomorrow, so we should get you used to it.” Dean was a little surprised at how this had somehow turned into a lesson, but oh well.  
“Ok.”  
“Ok. Tell me a lie.” Dean leaned back a little, interested to see what the angel would come up with. Cas muttered something unintelligible, looking down at the ground.  
“C’mon, Cas.” Dean stood, walking over to stand directly in front of the sitting angel. “You have to look a person in the eye when you lie. No bullshit like looking at the ground. And say it in a clear, strong voice. No one’s going to believe it if you don’t.” Cas looked up at him, blue eyes meeting green. He took a breath, and said in a clear, strong voice,  
“Open wide, this won’t hurt a bit.” Dean blinked once, then burst out laughing, clutching his stomach as he fell to the ground. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed this hard, tears forming at the corners of his eyes, his gut beginning to hurt from the strain of laughing. Cas had come to his side as he lay on the floor, shaking his shoulder and yelling his name. Which only made him laugh harder. He felt the tears from laughing roll down his face, and he tried to sit up, Cas helping by pulling him to his feet and helping him to the bed. After he sat down, the laughter began to subside, his deep, throaty laughs, winding down to wheezed chuckles. Cas sat next to him on the bed, his normally stoic face overflowing with concern. It took whatever breath Dean had left from laughing away, how worried Cas looked.  
“Are you alright, Dean?” Cas asked, searching his face. Dean chuckled again.  
“I’m fine, Cas. I just didn’t expect you to drop something like that.”  
“I didn’t drop anything.” Cas looked at the floor to confirm he hadn’t actually dropped something.  
“Just an expression.” He chuckled at the angels lack of references. “Where the hell did you hear something like that?”  
“At a dentist’s office. He was giving a young woman a root canal, and told her it would not hurt. It hurt a lot.” The angel dead panned, making Dean struggle not to bust out laughing again. He shook his head at Cas, smiling. The angel gave him a confused look. Dean hadn’t realized how close they were, their shoulders almost brushing. He stood up and cleared his throat walking over to lock the room’s door.  
“So, do you get how to lie better?” Cas nodded, standing as well.  
“Thank you, Dean.” Sam came out of the bathroom then, walking straight to his bed. Dean followed suit, climbing into his own bed nearest to the door. He turned off the lamp, flooding the room with darkness. It was a full moon tonight, the light flooding through the crappy drapes on the windows. The moonlight fell on Cas, who sat once again in his chair at the table, facing the window, his eyes narrowed, as if on watch for any and all danger. Dean watched him for a few moments before turning over and falling asleep.

* * *

  
“I look like one of the Village People!”  
“Just get your ass out here, we have to go!”  
“I don’t want to.”  
“Dean..”  
“No, Sam, you don’t get it. I feel ridiculous.”  
“We don’t have time for your vanity Dean, get out of the damn bathroom!” Dean groaned loudly, turning the knob on the bathroom door and stepping out. He was wearing a navy jumpsuit, his feet fitted with a pair of dorky black shoes. He glared around the room, daring any of them to make fun of him. When no one said anything, he gave a gruff nod and walked over, sitting at the table along with the two hunters and the angel. Bobby was outfitted with a jumpsuit like his, except green, while Sam and Cas were in suits, Cas not needing to change his appearance at all thanks to his vessel’s wardrobe. Dean yawned wide, hating early mornings. He should be asleep right now, his face buried in a pillow. Instead he had to cater to a building with at least a billion maintenance problems, and try not to get caught putting up demon wards all day.  
“Today we’re just scopin’ out the place, and puttin’ up as many wards as we can get away with. Sam’s got the mayor covered, and Cas can get his office warded. Me and Dean will try to get most of the building done today, and hopefully finish by tomorrow. Let’s head out.” Bobby stood, heading out the door, followed by Sam. Cas and Dean began to follow, when he noticed Cas’ tie was backwards.  
“Cas, your tie’s on wrong.” Cas looked down at his chest.  
“I don’t know how to tie a tie, Dean.”  
“What? How did you get it on?”  
“It just...came this way. I’ve never needed to take it off, and it hadn’t mattered that it was backwards until today.” Dean rolled his eyes, walking up and grabbing the blue tie. Cas tried to take a step back, but Dean stubbornly held on. He wasn’t going to kill him, sheesh. Just fix his damn tie. Cas finally quit moving, staying completely still as Dean worked the tie off his neck, then redid it as nicely as possible. Impersonating FBI agents as often as he did must have payed off, and he smiled as he looked at his perfect finished product. He stepped away from him, critically looking the angel up and down.  
“Better.” Cas looked at the tie, then gave Dean a small smile, the first he’d seen on Cas’ face since he’d met the angel. It made him proud to think he had helped it get there.  
“Thelma, Louise, let’s go!” Bobby shouted from outside, causing Dean to sigh as he walked out, Cas behind him.

* * *

  
“This will be your desk, Mr. Novak” a thin woman with a reedy voice gestured for Castiel to see. “You will be answering calls on behalf of Mr. Evers, and will make them on his behalf as well. Your lunch is at twelve pm, in the employee break room down the hall.” she pointed again. “Do you have any questions?”  
“No, thank you very much.” She smiled thinly at him, and left him to stare at the desk. It was seated directly outside the door to the mayor’s office, a good location. There was a desk phone on the desk’s right side, as well as a computer on it’s left. He would need to figure that out later. As well as the phone. He walked around to the other side of the desk, pulling out the black, cushy chair. He sat down, pulling himself forward. He was surprised when he moved forward easily, looking down and nodding in understanding when he saw wheels. He heard a bang behind him, followed by footsteps, and he turned his head sharply right to locate the sound. He was unprepared for the chair to start spinning with the momentum his turn had caused, gripping the arms of the chair tightly as he swiveled in a circle. His nostrils flared, his eyes wide as the chair slowly came to a stop. When he looked up, he was embarrassed to see Dean standing on the other side, looking amused.  
“You alright there?”  
“Fine. This chair is dangerous.”  
“It’s a wheely chair, Cas. It’s supposed to do that. Here, get up.” Castiel stood, allowing Dean to squeeze by him and sit down. Castiel walked to the other side of the desk to observe, as Dean lifted his legs onto the seat, gripping the wall with one hand and pulling a look of pure concentration. Suddenly Dean pushed his hand off the wall, causing the chair to rotate at an alarming rate. Castiel saw the wheels on the bottom lift occasionally with the momentum, afraid he would suddenly be thrown from the chair and into the wall right next to them. Eventually the chair came to a stop, Dean grinning wildly at him before standing up. His smile vanished when he began to wobble, placing a hand on the wall to steady himself.  
“Dean, are you alright?”  
“Fine, Cas, just got up a little quickly. Only drawback of those chairs is they make you dizzy.” He moved to sit on the desk, rubbing the side of his head with his palm. “I’ll be okay in a minute.” Castiel nodded, relieved.  
“Is your job going well?” Dean shrugged.  
“As well as I expected. My boss gave me a list of things I had to do my the end of the day, and it’s a whole fucking page!” Dean groaned.  
“And that bang from earlier. That was you?” Dean grinned sheepishly.  
“Yah. I was in the boiler room, trying to get the pipes working again. I might have knocked one of them loose.” Castiel nodded. Out of nowhere the thin woman from before came around the corner, freezing when she saw Dean leaning comfortably against the desk, talking to him. She frowned, walking up to them and scowling at Dean.  
“Who are you?” She demanded, looking Dean up and down.  
“I’m a maintenance worker.” She scrunched up her nose, her distaste plain.  
“What are you doing over here? Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” Dean scowled at the woman, but got up grudgingly. He shot Castiel a glance before leaving, looking sorry to be leaving his company. The woman gave him one last glare before leaving, shooting one at Castiel too as she walked by. He sat down in his chair, lifting his feet up tentatively and placing a hand on the wall. He looked around, and when he saw no one in sight, he pushed off with as much force as he could possibly muster.  
Dean would have to come back later to fix the hole in the wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review! Like seriously, thoughts would be appreciated.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I edited the description because I suck at them and it needed to be changed.

Dean cursed inwardly, lifting the tool in his hand to smear another layer of plaster onto the wall. He was kneeling uncomfortably by Cas’ desk, trying to fill in the hole the angel had somehow created. Only ten minutes earlier he had been walking away from here, that bossy bitch giving him the evil eye. He had run over his to do list in his head as he walked, mentally picturing the supplies he would need to get each repair job done, while still fitting in time to put up demon wards. He had been interrupted by a scream, followed by intense yelling. Dean had raced back the way he had come, already reaching for his gun. He came around the corner to see boss bitch blowing her top, her fury aimed at poor Cas, who looked downright ashamed, sitting in his computer chair. Before Dean could ask, he saw the hole. Ha, sucks for the guy who has to fix that!  
Oh.  
He began to slowly back away, walking backwards on the balls of his feet like his dad had taught him years ago. Unfortunately for him, his dad had not taught him what to do if you were trying to sneak away from an angry office lady. She spun around, recognizing him immediately, and pointed at the gaping hole.  
“Fix that! The mayor will be returning tomorrow from his vacation, and I can’t have him think this office had fallen into disarray in his absence!” She stormed off, walking around him like he had the damn plague. And now here he was, fixing this damn hole.  
“What the hell were you doing, Cas?” He grunted, applying another coat.  
“Nothing.” Dean sat back on his feet to stare at Cas.  
“Seriously, tell me, how do you make a hole like that? It’s almost-” Dean halted, realization hitting him. Cas must have have sensed he knew, his eyes slowly lifting to look warily to Dean’s. “-palm sized.” He grinned like a kid on Christmas morning, looking back and forth between Cas and the hole. “You tried to spin on the chair!” Cas’ face reddened slightly, which was kind of adorable. Wait, did he just call Cas adorable?  
“I underestimated the strength of the wall.”  
“But you tried to spin in a wheely chair!”  
“Yes.” Cas blinked, not realizing the huge deal. And okay, it really wasn’t, if you looked at the act itself. But the fact that an angel, the angel that had raised him from Hell, and just as quickly had threatened to throw him back in, had tried having fun in a swivel chair, was enough to put a grin on Dean’s face.  
“Man, Cas, next time, a little less force.”  
“My apologies.” Dean stood up, his face all business now.  
“No more holes in the wall, okay? Sam will be pissed if he finds out we got fired on the first day, and I for one can’t deal with a pouting little brother. So just try to be a little more careful.”  
“Yes.” Dean walked away, barely catching the mumbled thank you as he turned the corner. He smiled to himself.  
The rest of the day went better than Dean had expected it to go, his list taking him from one end of the building to the other. He always ended up walking by Cas, stopping for a few minutes to see how things were going. The first time he had stopped, Cas asked him to show him how the phone and computer worked, Dean’s explanation taking well over ten minutes, much to his boss’ annoyance. The next time he’d walked by, he saw Cas furiously typing away on the keyboard, the phone held between his ear and elbow as he answered a call. He was surprisingly good at his job, working with efficiency. Which Dean was more than happy to interrupt when he came by. Cas would glare at him as he sat on the end of the desk, trying to busy himself with phone calls or the computer. Dean would begin to hum, louder and louder, until Cas hung up with a sigh, and talked to the hunter. They kept repeating this as the day went on, Dean getting very little work done, to the hunter’s satisfaction, and Cas achieving the same result, to the angel’s annoyance. The end of their work day arrived, and Dean swung by Cas’ desk, claiming his now regular spot on the desk corner to wait for the angel to finish.  
“Hurry up, Cas. You don’t get extra credit for doing work after hours.” Dean rolled his eyes when the angel continued to type, scrunching his brow at the screen. Dean poked his shoulder, causing the angel to jump in his chair. He tilted his head towards the hall that led towards the exit, hoping Cas would get the message. At last Cas closed the computer down, standing and walking towards the exit with Dean at his side. Dean told him about the little vein in his boss’ forehead on the way, managing to pull a rare smile from the angel with the story. They made their way out of the building, Dean waving when he saw Sam and Bobby standing in front of the Impala. They looked unbelievably pissed, like Clint Eastwood on a bad day pissed, arms crossed tightly across their chests  
“How’d it go?” Dean smiled. Bobby and Sam shared a look before replying in unison.  
“Bar.” Dean was curious, but wouldn’t be the one to stall a drink. He walked around to the drivers side and slid in, turning the keys.

* * *

  
They arrived at the bar ten minutes later, Sam and Bobby practically running to get inside. Dean pushed open the heavy door, walking over and sitting down at the booth Sam and Bobby had chosen. The two hunters sat next to each other on one side, leaving Dean and Cas the other booth. As they sat down, a good looking waitress came and took their order, Dean giving her one of his trademark smiles before ordering a beer. Cas ordered nothing, and when Dean gave him a look, the angel merely shrugged,  
“I don’t require drink.” Dean shrugged, smiling again when the waitress came with everyone’s drinks. He thanked her with a wink, the waitress rolling her eyes at him. As she left though, her gaze lingered on Cas, of all people, who was of course, oblivious to the whole thing. This girl had weird taste. I mean sure, the angel wasn’t unattractive, with his blue eyes, messy brown hair that made him looked like he’d woken up in a rush, and slight stubble. Dean wasn’t blind, he could acknowledge another man’s good looks. And he had to admit, Cas had em’. He blinked a few times. Yeah, definitely need a drink. Sam wrapped his hand around his beer, chugging down half of it before Dean could even touch his, looking done with the world.  
“Whoa, okay, someone had a bad day.” Sam set his bottle down hard on the wooden table.  
“You have no idea.” Bobby nodded, chugging his own beer with gusto.  
“Did you encounter demons?” Cas asked beside Dean.  
“I wish. The mayor doesn't get back till tomorrow, so this woman sends me to every council member in the office to ask if they need help. First, this guy wants a coffee. So I go get it, but he takes two sugars, which he didn't tell me when I had left the first time, so I have to go again. When I finally get his coffee the way he wanted it, I was sent to clean out this lady’s desk. I needed gloves for this desk. Moldy sandwiches, expired snack cakes, ants EVERYWHERE. And then I was sent campaigning.” Sam takes another swig of his beer. “Because it’s an election year, and as she put it ‘you’re not doing anything, so why waste time.’ So I went door to door for the rest of the day, trying to convince this damn town to vote for this guy. And to top it off?” He lifted his sleeve to reveal a bandaged wrist. “I got bit by a dog at some lady’s house.” Dean laughed, unable to help himself.  
“That doesn’t explain why _you’re_ in a bad mood.” Dean stifled his laughter, looking at Bobby, who was scowling at the loud jukebox playing on the other side of the room as if it had personally wronged him.  
“Oh, you know, just cleanin’ up a bunch of stuck up politician’s vomit. A perfect beginning to my perfect day.” Dean whistled, taking a sip of his beer.  
“That good, huh?”  
“What about you?” Sam took another swallow.  
“Not as bad as I’d thought.”  
“Really?” Sam raised an eyebrow.  
“Really.”  
“What’d you do?”  
“Fixed a hole in the wall.” Dean took another drink, trying not to laugh when he felt Cas straighten up beside him. The booth was small, Dean’s shoulder nearly brushing Cas’, and he could feel the angel tense up with the teasing.  
“A hole? How’d it get there?” Dean kept his face blank, hoping Sam wasn’t paying any attention to the fidgeting angel beside him.  
“No clue, probably some angry politician.” Sam nodded looking back at his beer. Dean nudged Cas’ foot with his own, giving him a side look  
 _‘Relax’_ Cas must have understood, the angel immediately going still. Dean chuckled inwardly.  
“Right. How did you and Bobby do with the wardings?”  
“I got all the South and West wings done. Every closet, under every carpet I could manage to draw a devils trap in.” Bobby and Sam turned to him expectantly, waiting for him to report on his warding progress. Which he hadn’t made.  
“Uh…”  
“Tell me. That you did. At least one.” Sam pulled out his legendary bitch face, letting Dean know this wasn’t the time to fuck around.  
“There was no time! My boss had me running from wing to wing, and I didn't have the luxury of popping into closets to draw devil’s traps everywhere!”  
“Damnit, Dean.” Sam rubbed his jaw, looking away for a second before facing him again. “Okay, tomorrow we don’t have much time. The mayor comes in at ten tomorrow morning, so we need to get that building covered. No screwing around tomorrow, okay?” Dean grunted. “Good. Cas, please tell me you got the mayor’s office covered.”  
“I got the mayor’s office covered.”  
“Thank God.” Dean shifted in his seat to look at Cas, the angel’s eyes boring into him. Dean could read the silent message in his face.  
 _“I did not get the mayors office”_ Dean laughed out loud, Bobby and Sam giving him weird looks across the table.

* * *

  
They made it back to the motel room, Sam nearly shoving Dean aside to get to the bathroom first. Asshole. He sat on the bed, Cas facing him in his usual chair at the table. At least he looked more relaxed than he had yesterday, his hands folded on his lap instead of gripping his knees, his gaze calm and expectant instead of tense and wary.  
“So, how was your first day at a human job?” Cas took a moment to ponder his question, darting his tongue out to wet his chapped lips.  
“It was, better than I expected.”  
“Really? It looked kind of boring.”  
“Your job appeared far superior.” Cas deadpanned.  
“Cas, was that sarcasm I heard?”  
“I don’t know what that is, Dean.”  
“It was!” Dean felt triumph surge through him, taking weird delight in the angel adopting some human quirks.  
“I still do not know what it means, so I can neither confirm nor deny that that is what I have expressed.”  
“Trust me, it was.”  
“I do trust you, Dean.” Cas was looking him in the eye, his voice clear and confident. Dean had taught him how to lie, and for a second, he thought that was what Cas was doing, trying to get them to trust him by making a false declaration, just so he could stab them in the back later. It wouldn’t have been the first time someone had tried it. And with what little he’d seen of the other angels, back stabbing didn't seem too far fetched for them. But in the little time Dean had spent with Cas, he had begun to recognize his tells, despite the blank stare he usually got. He could tell when he was embarrassed, when he was happy, when he was nervous, and when he was lying. And even though Dean had given him the very best lying lessons, from the very best liar, he could still see sincerity in those blue eyes. His brow was slightly creased, his lips pressed together in a thin line, his jaw relaxed. He wasn't lying. Which meant Cas actually trusted him. Before he could respond, Sam walked out of the bathroom, rifling through his duffle bag for something or other. When Dean only sat there, Sam threw a towel at him, forcing him to grab his clothes and head towards the bathroom, muttering bitch under his breath. He could feel Cas’ eyes on him as he shut the door, something unresolved left on the other side. When he came out a few minutes later, Cas was gone. He looked over at Sam, who was lying on his bed with his laptop, clicking away as if nothing was wrong.  
“Where’d he go?” Sam looked up, unfazed.  
“He said back to Heaven. Then he just...left.” He shrugged, looking back down at his laptop.  
“No one just disappears, Sammy, what else did he say?”  
“Nothing, Dean, he just disappeared. Relax! I’m sure he’ll be back soon.” Dean narrowed his eyes at the empty chair, as if glaring at it would make the dirty trench coated angel appear. When that didn’t work, he huffed towards his bed, yanking the covers back and climbing in. Dean felt Sam’s eyes on him as lay down, sensing a chick flick moment approaching.  
“He’ll be back, Dean. Stop worrying.”  
“I’m not fucking five!” Dean snapped, reaching over to turn off the lights, flooding the room in black. He heard Sam sigh and close his laptop, listening as his brother shifted to a comfortable position. Cas was an angel, and from what Bobby had said, they were practically indestructible. Dean wasn’t worried. He had no reason to be. Cas could take care of himself, and if that wall at the office was any measurement of what he could do, no one would ever fuck with him. Still, it made him uneasy. What did Heaven want? Would they call Cas away, send him to stop another seal somewhere else? Dean shook himself. He was getting worked up over nothing. And even if they did send him away, so what? Just back to the same old job. Saving people, hunting things, black and white. It would be fine if they went back to the way things were, less complicated. But even as he drifted off to sleep, he knew that it wasn’t quite true.

* * *

  
Cas blinked, eyes adjusting to the the dazzling light Heaven always produced. Before he could take a step forward, Uriel appeared in front of him, the large angel’s vessel looking enraged, veins popping in his forehead, fists clenched at his side.  
“Where. The _hell_. Have you been?!”  
“I told you.”  
“Ha, yeah, see, I remember _where_ you said you’d be, the thing that must have slipped my hearing was _when_ you said you’d be back. Because silly me, I thought you said it wouldn’t take long. And yet, there you were, playing babysitter to those meat sacks.”  
“Do not call them those names, Uriel. It’s blasphemy.”  
“And look what it’s done, spending all that time together.” Uriel circled him, sneering. “You’re supposed to be leading a garrison, and instead you decide to have a play date with a bunch of roaches. How’s your _favourite_ roach, by the way? They say you two have become quite, chummy.”  
“Who’s they?” Cas narrowed his eyes.  
“You think I’m the only one who’s noticed? Zachariah’s isn’t too happy with you. He’s getting real concerned about where your interests lie. And your loyalties.” Cas felt rage swell inside him, his wings shooting out to spread wide and intimidating as he scowled at Uriel.  
“What are you implying?” He growled, his wings beating in agitation.  
“You’re spending far too much time with humans, Castiel. Look at you, you’re acting like one of them! Letting your emotions take over. This isn’t the kind of leader we need.” Cas took a step forward to hit him, before stopping himself. It wasn’t worth it.  
“Get back to Balthazar, Uriel. Before I show you exactly why I was given a garrison in the first place.” Uriel widened his eyes, scowling before he vanished into the air. Cas felt his wings retract, feeling his anger ebbing away along with them. He rubbed a hand across his face, staring at the ground. He had never snapped like that before, letting his emotions take over him. Perhaps Uriel was right, maybe he was spending too much time with the humans in his charge. But Dean needed him. He arrived in the Winchesters motel room, the room dark and silent, save for a few snores from Sam’s side of the room. Cas walked over and sat down at his chair, keeping silent watch over the boys as they slumbered. Sam was tangled up in his bedding, his back against the mattress, his limbs splayed everywhere. Dean was another story. The older hunter was lying on his stomach, one arm under his pillow, the other drawn close against him. His limbs were kept close to his body, his vulnerable stomach protected, and his hand was probably clasped on his firearm. His position was one of defense, paranoia. A man who does not fear the dark does not sleep this way. All at once Dean began to shake, his shoulder blades twitching violently. His face was screwed up as if in pain, his body subconsciously trying to burrow into the mattress. The sight of Dean distressed and in pain forced Cas up, walking quickly over to the hunter and lifting two fingers to brush against his sweat covered brow. Immediately, Dean relaxed, his body going still, his face peaceful. He looked down at the hunter, checking to make sure he was truly alright. He found his gaze lingering on Dean’s face, tearing himself away to walk back to his chair to resume his watch. The Righteous Man did not stir again that night.  
Dawn broke soon enough, the light filtering in through the dirty window. Cas was reading Sam’s notes, research on the seal they were protecting. All about Merle Evers. Cas looked up as he heard rustling from one of the beds, Dean stirring. Last night had come as no surprise to him. He had expected Dean to still be having nightmares of Hell, the months he had spent in the pit leaving deep scars on him that not even his powers could heal. The hunter sat up gradually, his eyes closed against the bright light of the dawn. He gave a small sigh, rubbing a hand over his strong jaw, lightly covered in stubble. Eventually he opened his eyes, seeing Cas sitting at his chair with Sam’s notes in his hand. Cas was surprised when he received the smallest of smiles, before the hunter yawned loudly. He had looked relieved to see him. The angel felt inexplicably warm at the thought.  
“Where’d you fly off to last night?”  
“I don’t fly, Dean.” He responded, glancing down at the notes.  
“Saying, Cas, it’s a saying. Where’d you go.”  
“I had business in Heaven.” The hunter looked at him, eyeing him suspiciously.  
“Okay?” Dean paused, expecting him to give a detailed explanation.  
“I had to let my garrison know where I was.” Dean made a face.  
“You mean that dick bag at Bobby’s house?”  
“His name is Uriel.”  
“Right. Who else is in your garrison? Wait, don’t tell me, Sam and me went to Catholic school for a week, I can guess.” Dean furrowed his brow, concentrating. “Uh, there’s…….Michael...Gabriel…..and….fuck, there’s a ninja turtle one I can’t remember.” Cas flinched at his brother’s names, Dean noticing and stopping to look at him, concerned. “Cas, are you okay?”  
“I’m fine, Dean.” He could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest, hoping Dean wasn’t able to hear the pounding.  
“Don’t lie to me, Cas.” He looked hurt at the idea. “What’d I say?” Cas couldn’t tell him, couldn’t dredge up all the memories he’d tried so hard to forget, the emotions he’d smothered all those years after Lucifer had been thrown down. Even after all that time, it still left him with pain, the look in his eyes as he fell engraved into his memories.  
“I…...can’t, Dean.” He couldn’t look at the hunter, didn’t want to see the questions in his eyes. He hated this, feeling weak, dragged down by this weight. He looked up finally, Dean looking like he wanted to ask more questions, but in the end all he said was,  
“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was difficult for me to write for some reason. Not really sure why, but oh well, I finished it :) Please review!


	12. Chapter 12

Sam sat on his bed across from Dean, researching as much as he could before they had to go in for work. There was little information to be found, unfortunately, the search engine turning out next to nothing about Baal, or anything of relevance to the case. He glanced over at Dean, busy cleaning his shotgun on his bed, while at the same time shooting glances over at Cas. His older brother would look at the angel for a few seconds, lips pressed into a thin line, before returning to the gun looking frustrated. Sam couldn’t for the life of him guess what the hell was going on, but he knew that the two’s relationship wasn’t exactly simple, even before they had started working the case together. Despite Dean constantly telling him he never noticed shit, even he could see the two were becoming close. Which was surprising, but not unwelcome. For his whole life, with all the schools they’d been to, with all the people they’d met on the road, he’d never known Dean to have a friend. He was too swept up in the job to make friends, not even trying when they were kids to get to know kids his own age. His reasoning had been that they’d just leave them behind anyway, so what was the point. And then when they’d joined up to start hunting yellow eyes, Dean had never mentioned anyone he was close to. All his life Dean had been focused on taking care of him, not allowing himself someone to confide in. Besides him, obviously, but Dean wasn’t always keen to tell his little brother his problems. He was glad Dean had someone to talk to, even if that someone wasn’t who Sam would have expected Dean to draw toward.  
“So I’ve been looking up some more stuff on Baal” Sam narrowed his eyes at his laptop, making a few hard clicks on the keyboard. “And when I typed in his name on this site, the name of some priest popped up beside it. Father Urbain Grandier.” Cas looked up from the book, looking interested. “Says that this guy was appointed to monsignor, which is the top priest in a church. This other priest was jealous of his position, and how everyone in France him, so that priest convinced these nuns to fake that they’d been possessed by demons, and tell everyone that Grandier had summoned them. They forged a written contract between him and a demon, they accused him of reading satanic fiction, the whole thing. So he was sentenced to burn alive. The nuns “miraculously” were set free after that, and everyone sort of forgot about him.”  
“You believe there is a connection between this man and Baal?” Cas said in his gravely voice, Sam noting Dean had only lifted his head when he had heard Cas speak up. He wasn’t sure if he was amused or insulted.  
“Yah. Grandier had done nothing wrong, he was said to have been a good guy. But the other priest corrupted his reputation, and in the end got him killed. I think there’s something to this.”  
“Like what?” Dean wiped a cloth down the barrel of the shotgun.  
“I don’t know, Dean, something!”  
“Alright, sensitive, don’t get your panties in a twist!” Dean barked back. “I’m just wondering what the connection is.”  
“You think this honest man of the past is connected to the honest mayor here?” Cas narrowed his eyes.  
“Could be.” Sam nodded enthusiastically. “It’s just weird how much it ties in with the seal.”  
“Whatever.” Dean got up and stretched, heading to the bathroom, snatching up his uniform on the way to change into. “You keep typing away. Maybe Wikipedia has something.” Dean chuckled at his own joke, shutting the door behind him. Cas looked back to Sam, tilting his head.  
“What’s Wikipedia?” Sam sighed. There was no way he was going to try and explain Wikipedia. A pain shot through his head, announcing the beginning of what promised to be a massive headache. Great, just what he needed. He glared at the laptop, the cause of it all, having been on it for several hours researching Baal. He set the computer aside, rubbing his eyes for relief. He felt a touch on his forehead, jumping backwards and away. He saw Cas standing in front of him, his fingers reaching out, his eyes determined.  
“Cas what the hell are you doing?” He huffed out.  
“Your head was hurting.” Sam blinked.  
“How’d you know that?” Cas shrugged, walking back to sit in the chair.  
“Human’s show more of what they are trying to hide than they think they do. Both from their energy and their body language.”  
“So you’re saying my energy told you I was having a headache.” Cas smiled wryly, chuckling softly.  
“Sam, despite not being human myself, I can still decipher basic human body language. It was not hard to see that you were exhausted.” Sam nodded, the pain in his head now completely gone. He heard the water begin to run from the cheap shower, and knew he had some time to ask Cas the questions that had been on his mind for a few days. Dean, despite being his older brother, told him shit. He loved him, but sometimes the lack of communication got to be a little old.  
“So, Cas.” He started, the angel looking up from Sam’s notes. “How’s Dean?” Cas tilted his head.  
“He’s cleaning himself.”  
“No, Cas, I mean, how is he doing, you know….” Sam struggled to find the words. “Since he got out of Hell.” Cas raised his eyebrows.  
“Why not ask him yourself, Sam?”  
“Even though you haven’t been with us for that long, you know that Dean isn’t exactly the guy who loves share and care moments. I just worry about him, you know? And since you guys look like you’re getting pretty close, I just thought he might have told you something that he can’t tell me.”  
“Why would he not tell you?”  
“Because I’m the little brother.” Seeing Cas’ still confused expression, he continued. “ Dean doesn’t want me to feel sorry for him, or worry about him. Please, can you tell me if he’s said anything?” Cas looked thoughtful for a few moments.  
“He hasn’t told me anything troubling. Other than some of the situations you two have gotten yourselves into in the past. Like a…..?” Cas tried to search for the word, “Clown?” Sam winced at the memory. “Other than that, he has told me nothing. However,” Cas frowned, “He has been having nightmares.”  
“Nightmares?” Sam frowned. “Nightmares of what.”  
“His time in Hell.”  
“He remembers Hell?” Sam gaped. He had hoped Dean would have had his memory wiped when he had returned, just a blank space in his mind in place of those four months below.  
“Yes. He has nightmares when he goes to sleep.”  
“Is there anything we can do?” Cas shook his head, crushing any hope he might have been building of a cure.  
“No, I’m afraid not. When he sleeps, I can temporarily banish the dreams, but other than that, nothing.” Cas looked away. “I’m sorry that I cannot do more, Sam.”  
Sam shook his head, “No, Cas, don’t be sorry. It’s amazing you can do anything at all, really. Thanks for telling me.” He chuckled lightly. “I’m sure with as many brothers as you have, you understand why I worry about him.” Cas brought his gaze back to Sam’s, surprising him with the depth of sadness behind them.  
“Sam, the relationship you and Dean have is built on protecting one another, keeping each other safe from the evil that you face. Your brother has died to protect you, and given the same chance, you would have done the same. It is not the same for me. I have hundreds of brothers and sisters, all who know each other and serve together. But we do not exist to protect one another. We serve to obey, to follow orders, and if the order came down from Heaven to eliminate one of our own, then we would not question it.” Cas looked down at his hands, folded on his lap. “I envy you and Dean. For that bond you share, that goes beyond blood.” Sam didn’t know what to say. He had no idea that was how the angels treated one another, so cold and distant. It made him think back to all those fights with Dean, all those angry car rides in silence. The fighting itself had sucked, but it had meant that they cared enough about each other to give a damn.  
“Well, worst case scenario, you have us.” Sam smiled a little at the angels surprise. The water from the shower ceased, Sam getting up and walking over to his bag for his work clothes.  
“Thank you, Sam.”  
“You don’t need to thank me. I’m sure Dean would've said the same thing.” At that moment Dean opened the door, striding out and flopping onto his bed with a groan.  
“Don’t make me go, Sam.”  
“I thought you had fun yesterday?”  
“I never said fun. Those words never left my mouth. I said it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”  
“That’s as good as anything.”  
“I haven’t even had coffee yet. Where the hell’s Bobby with the coffee?” His brother grumbled, throwing an arm over his face.  
“I don’t know, probably getting ready. Go be proactive, and get it yourself.” Dean let out another groan. “It’s a five minute walk, Dean, you’ll make it. Take Cas with you if you think you’ll get bored.” No groan this time. He glanced over at Dean, who’d gone rigid, then back at Cas who’d done the same. Interesting.  
“Alright. Come on, Cas.” Dean stood up, followed by a reluctant angel. The two walked out the door, Sam watching them go with a more than curious look.

* * *

  
The walk to the coffee shop was awkward, to say the least, neither of them saying anything on the walk there. They made it, finally, Dean ordering four black coffees, despite a look from Cas. They began their walk back, the silence continuing as they crossed street after street. Finally, he heard Cas clear his throat beside him.  
“Dean?” Dean stopped, turning to face him.  
“What?” He said, a little harsher than he’d intended. After all, he’d said it was okay that he didn’t want to talk about it. He shouldn’t be mad.  
“This morning, I didn’t mean to sound like I am keeping secrets. It is difficult for me to talk about. I didn’t want it to seem like I do not trust you, because as I’ve already said, I do. I do not want to burden you with my problems. You have enough on your shoulders without me helping.” Dean nodded slowly before looking at Cas.  
“Bullshit.” He watched Cas blink several times.  
“What?”  
“Cas, if you ever have a problem, you tell me. Or Sammy or Bobby. That’s our job.” Cas tilted his head.  
“Dean, I’m not sure that is a job requirement for hunters.” Dean rolled his eyes.  
“No Cas, that’s not the job I mean. You know, the kind of stuff that, friends do.” His voice cracked on the word friends, to his complete annoyance/ embarrassment, but it was almost worth it to see the angel’s surprised expression.  
“Friends?”  
“Yah, Cas. Ever had one before?” Cas shook his head, frowning.  
“Me either, really.” He tugged at the angel’s elbow, encouraging him to continue walking while they talked. “Alway so busy with the job, or Sammy, I didn’t really have the time for friends outside of a few hunters. And we didn’t exactly make bracelets together.” He chuckled. “But now you have three.” Cas walked beside him, looking lost in thought. Dean was worried he had freaked out the angel, overwhelmed him with too much too fast. It was almost like when the women he’d dated wanted to take things a step further, force commitment on him, and he’d freaked out and ran. The comparison almost made him laugh, except for the seriousness of the situation.  
“Cas?” He asked tentatively. They were almost to the motel room, and he’d hoped to get this seriousness behind them before they walked in. Cas grabbed his arm, Dean sucking in a breath of surprise as the angel brought them to a stop, wheeling him around to face him. They were close now, the angel’s blue eyed stare boring into him from no more than six inches away. He was very conscious of his breathing, and despite the feeling of being cornered, he couldn’t bring himself to turn away. Cas searched his face, scrutinizing every wrinkle, every worry line, every inch of his face, and Dean just stood there, allowing the surprise inspection. Dean did one of his own, noting the blue of Cas’ eyes, the wrinkle between his eyebrows from squinting too much, his chapped lips that still looked unbelievably soft.  
“Tell me, Dean.” He heard the angel rasp softly, bringing him out of his daze. “What do friends do?” Dean was pretty sure not this. He cleared his throat, which had gone dry by now.  
“Uh, they listen to each other’s problems, help them if they can. They, uh, laugh about dumb things, and hang out with each other. Because they like being with each other.” Cas nodded, licking his lips unconsciously. Dean followed the movement, jumping in surprise when Cas spoke suddenly.  
“I’m your…” Cas trailed off, Dean smiling gently at the baffled angel.  
“Friend.”  
“Why?” Dean thought about it for a moment, knowing he could go into a huge speech about why exactly Cas had become so important to him so fast. He chucked, shaking his head.  
“Who can explain it, who can tell you why? Fools give you reason, wise men never try.” Cas tilted his head at him, looking so confused in that damn endearing way that Dean wasn’t sure he’d be able to step away again. And why should he want to?  
“Is that a reference, Dean?” Dean nodded, clearing his throat and finally managing to step back from the angel, reluctantly.  
“It’s a song. Kind of special to me.” He grinned sheepishly, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck. Before Cas could ask any follow up questions, Dean tugged him down the street, nearing the motel.  
“I’m your friend Cas, whether you want me to be or not. If you don’t want to tell me, fine, I’ll respect that. But if you do, I’ll listen.” As they approached the door, Cas looked at Dean.  
“I want to tell you, Dean. May we speak after work?” Dean was surprised, but nodded quickly, opening the door and walking in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story about Father Urbain Gradier is true, with some details altered by me for the benefit of the story. It's actually really interesting, if you're ever bored you should look him up.  
> The song Dean references is from "Some Enchanted Evening", from the musical "South Pacific"  
> Sorry this chapter is so short, but it was either short chapter and kind of late update, or longer chapter and REALLY late update.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Warning for brief homophobia

Today was not going to be like yesterday, that was plainly obvious. On the way to the office, Sam lectured Dean on the importance of getting the demon wards up before the mayor got there, to which Dean responded with a certain finger gesture he was fond of. When they finally walked into the building, after what seemed like years, Sam shot him one last pointed glare before walking stiffly down the hall with Bobby. Dean snorted, walking with Cas to his desk. He whistled as they walked, content with the company Cas provided. They made it to Cas’ desk, the angel sitting down in his computer chair and booting up the screen.  
“Do you need me to get in to the mayor’s office for you to ward?” Dean offered, unsure if the angel even knew how to pick a lock. Cas narrowed his eyes at him, disappearing before his eyes. Dean looked around wildly, startling when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun around, Cas smiling smugly in front of him.  
“I think I can get in there just fine, Dean.” He walked around, sitting back down in the chair. “The offer is appreciated though.” Dean glared at him half heartedly before shaking his head, turning to walk away.  
“Alright, smart ass. If you need me, I’ll be jammed in some closet or other around here.” He walked down the hall, heading towards the supply closet the janitors used. He opened the door, stooping down to pull out the tool box he’d been assigned yesterday. Opening it, he pulled out a can of spray paint, shaking it a couple times before standing up.  
“One down,” He muttered to himself, reaching high to spray a devil’s trap on the ceiling, “A billion more to go.” That was how he spent the next couple of hours, going from closet to closet and placing devil’s traps in as many of them as he could without his boss noticing. Entering the next one, he sighed. This one looked barely big enough to fit him and his toolbox. Setting the box against the wall so he’d have more room, he walked inside, spray can in hand. He reached up high, trying to spray the tall ceiling, when suddenly he felt something warm pressed against his torso. He looked down, finding himself eye to eye with a very excited angel.  
“Jesus, Cas!” He tried to back up for some personal space, but was blocked by the wall, the closet barely big enough to fit both of them.  
“Dean, I saw-”  
“You can’t just pop up in random places! What if someone had seen you? Humans can’t teleport whenever they feel like it.” Cas rolled his eyes, a very human gesture.  
“No one saw me, Dean. I went to the bathroom near my desk.”  
“And you couldn’t have walked?”  
“That would have been a waste of time.” Dean shook his head, stopping when he realized he had almost rubbed noses with the angel. God, he needed a beer.  
“Whatever. Did you get the mayor’s office done?”  
“Yes. But that’s not why I came. I was working at my desk on some tax accounts the mayor has-”  
“Wait, you did his taxes?” Cas narrowed his eyes at Dean. “Sorry.”  
“As I was saying, when one of the workers walked by my desk. She was wearing a long sleeve shirt, but as she was walking it lifted slightly, and I saw a strange mark on her wrist.” Dean frowned, skeptical.  
“You sure it wasn’t a mole, Cas?”  
“I know what a mole is, Dean. It was no mole or skin defect. I think it has something to do with the priest Sam mentioned this morning.”  
“Well, look at you.” Dean chuckled, impressed. “Sleuth skills worthy of a hunter.” Cas smiled, pleased. And there it was again, stronger this time. That light feeling that he got in his gut whenever Cas smiled at him. God, he hadn’t been this pathetic since he’d asked Rebecca Barlow to some middle school dance way back when. He’d been a wreck, his hands all clammy, his stomach twisted in knots, and his tongue tied. It didn’t seem much different from this moment, honestly. But it was different. It wasn’t that Cas was a dude. Dean would be lying to himself if he didn’t acknowledge some of his male hookups while Sam was away at Stamford. That part didn’t bother him. But _come on_. Getting a crush, God kill him for using that word, on the guy who’d rescued him from literal Hell? It all seemed a little cheesy for his taste. Too damsel in distress finds Prince Charming. But shit, Dean was having trouble focusing on that at the moment.  
“I am no hunter, but thank you.” Cas’ eyes crinkled at the corners.  
“Uh, yah, no, anytime.” Dean stammered, cursing himself inwardly. _Keep it together, Winchester._  
“Shall I show you the mark?” Cas volunteered after a pause, searching Dean’s face curiously.  
“Oh, yah that’s a good idea.” He managed, mentally kicking himself. It was middle school all over again. Or at least what little he’d experienced of it. He turned the knob, opening the door and stepping out only to run into a very surprised woman. The same woman from yesterday.  
Fuck.  
Her mouth hung open, her gaze darting from Cas back to him, her eyes practically bugging out. Dean didn’t understand why she looked so shocked before he realized exactly what that must have looked like, two people emerging from a cramped closet together.  
“No, you have the wrong id-”  
“We do not tolerate-”  
“No, we weren’t-”  
“That kind of disgusting act in here!” That made Dean freeze. It took him a few moments to be able to respond.  
“Disgusting?” Dean tried to ask calmly, unable to believe that he was really hearing what he was hearing.  
“This is not the place for you people,” she continued, her words dripping out of her mouth like stinging venom. Dean clenched his fists at his side, repeating to himself over and over not to hit her.  
“Look, lady, I don’t know who you think you are, but I don’t think what we do or do not do is any of your business.” She narrowed her eyes.  
“I am in charge of this office until the mayor returns. So it is very much my business.” Dean clenched his jaw, knowing he had to leave before he started something he would regret. He turned around, and without thinking grabbed Cas’ hand tight in his own. He shot her a pointed look over his shoulder, delighted when he saw her jaw drop. With that, he marched off, tugging Cas along. After a couple minutes of silent walking, they finally made it to Cas’ desk. Dean was breathing through his nose, trying to calm himself down before he had to fix another hole in the wall.  
“Dean?” He heard Cas say quietly beside him, the soft voice making him come out of his red haze immediately. He looked down at his hand, having not realized he’d still been holding it this whole time. He pulled his hand away, instantly missing the touch. He looked back up to Cas, who looked very, very confused. And a little pink as well. Was it just Dean’s imagination, or was the angel blushing?  
“Sorry, Cas.” He apologized, sighing. “I just...She had no right to say that to me or you, and I just got so angry that I had to wipe that self righteous look off her face. Sorry if it made you uncomfortable.” He was surprised when Cas’ face reddened even more, becoming unusually flustered.  
“I-no, Dean, I was- it was fine.” Dean held back a grin, unable to keep from teasing the angel.  
“Are you feeling okay, Cas? You look a little red to me.” He said innocently, Cas shaking his head violently.  
“I am fine, Dean.”  
“You sure?” Dean said, deciding to try something he would probably regret. He put his hand gently on Cas’ forehead. “You feel a little warm. Maybe you’re coming down with something.”  
At the touch of his hand, Cas’ eyes became saucers, his cheeks achieving a new shade of red Dean thought impossible for anyone to make.  
“Angel’s do not get sick.” Cas swallowed tightly, his adam’s apple bobbing.  
“No? Hm.” Dean exclaimed, pleased with the angel’s unexpected reaction. Maybe his attraction wasn’t entirely one sided. “Are you ready?”  
“For what?”  
“Uh, to look at the mark?”  
“Oh, yes, she went this way.” Cas rushed out, walking quickly down the hall, his trenchcoat flapping behind him. With a small smile, Dean followed. Their walk led them to another wing, filled with row after row of tiny cubicles, the room a roar of phones ringing and people shouting. Posters with the mayor’s face hung everywhere, on every wall, desk, and door, plastering the room. The whole room looked like a frenzy, people running quickly to the copier and running just as quickly back to their desks, typing away. Cas led them over to the back of the room, standing next to a water cooler and staring at an empty cubicle.  
“This is the woman’s desk.” He said, face returned to a blank expression, to Dean’s disappointment.  
“How do you know?” Cas only looked at him.  
“I know, Dean.”  
“Alright, Spock, then where is she.” Cas closed his eyes for a moment, snapping them open again a heartbeat later.  
“Talking to her manager. They will be done soon.” Cas stood against the wall, keeping his eyes trained on the cubicle. Dean looked around, noticing a couple stares aimed in their direction. They couldn’t just stand there in the back of the room, staring at an empty cubicle. It was a little suspicious, and had already begun to attract a few people’s attention. He noticed the water cooler they stood next to, grabbing a cup and filling it to the brim. He did the same with another cup.  
“Take this.” He muttered, handing one to Cas.  
“Why?”  
“Because it looks a little weird for two people to be just standing against a wall watching her desk.” He took a sip of water. “Follow my lead.”  
“Dean, I don't know what you me-”  
“You catch the game last night?” He said, loud enough for the people near them to hear.  
“What game? Dean, wh-”  
“Sure was a doozy, twenty five to nothin’, whoo!” Dean took another sip, giving Cas a hard look.  
“Yes. It was a...doozy.”  
“Damn right. Almost thought they’d come back, but nope, a complete shut out.”  
“Yes, very unexpected.” Dean looked around, no one paying the slightest attention to two men talking about the latest sports game. But the woman still wasn’t back.  
“Anywho, how’s your wife doing?” Dean said, unable to think of anything else people discussed in an office.  
“She is fine. She is expecting another child this fall.” Cas was getting good at this game.  
“Is she? That’s great man! Got any names picked out?”  
“Samantha.” Dean almost choked on his water, sputtering. Just then Cas looked across the room, eyes zeroed in on a woman heading this way. She made her way over to the cubicle, sitting down in her chair and beginning to type. Cas raised his eyebrows at Dean, gesturing that this was the woman. Resisting an eye roll at the subtlety, Dean looked at her wrists, covered by the sleeves on her shirt. Well that was perfect. How was he supposed to look for a mark if her damn wrists were hidden? Dean began to feel a little warm, feeling sweat begin to gather on his brow. He rolled up the sleeves on his shirt, watching as everyone else in the room began to notice the sudden surge of heat. Men took off their suit jackets, women removed their cardigans, as many of them began to fan their faces. What the hell? Dean glanced over at Cas, who was also beginning to sweat, but didn’t seem to notice. Dean saw his right hand twitching, rotating like he was turning a knob. He was staring at something across the room, and when Dean squinted, he could see the thermostat hung on the wall. Son of a bitch. The woman in front of them at last succomed to the heat, removing her suit jacket and placing it behind her. As she hung it on the back of her chair, Dean noticed a red mark, almost like a burn. It was a strange shape, what Dean would describe as an exploding star if he had to put a name to it. he reached in his pocket for a napkin, patting his uniform for a pen. Finding nothing, he looked over at Cas.  
“Hey, Magneto, got a pen?” Cas raised one eyebrow at him before reaching into his pocket and producing a blue ballpoint. Dean copied the mark as best he could onto the napkin. Stuffing the napkin into his pocket, he nudged Cas, making his way out of the sweltering room. Once they made it back to Cas’ desk, Dean pulled the napkin back out, looking at it again.  
“You’re right. That’s no mole.” Dean roated the paper, trying to determine if he’d ever seen the mark before, but coming up empty. “We’ll show this to Sam when we get off work.”  
“Who is Magneto?” Dean looked over at an expectant Cas.  
“Uh, he’s a guy who can control metal with his mind.”  
“That knob was not metal, Dean.”  
“I don’t know a lot of superheroes, besides, like, Batman, so that’s the best I could come up with, okay?” Cas gave him a skeptical look before walking around and sitting in his chair.  
“Who is...Batman?”  
“And he has a dog named Krypto who can’t stand it either.”  
“I don’t understand, why is the dog named after the thing he and his master are powerless against?” Dean blinked.  
“You know, I never actually thought about it.” The two shared a look before dissolving into fits of laughter, Cas in his chair, Dean seated on the desk. Dean clutched his stomach, trying to get himself under control. He took a deep breath, the laughter winding down into small chuckles. Cas had stopped as well, looking at Dean with a smile. Dean smiled back, holding Cas’ eyes. The look stretched past a few seconds, Deans smile falling away as he looked at Cas. Cas continued to hold his gaze, eyes darting quickly down to his lips before returning to look at him. A few feet. All that stood between them were a few feet.  
“There you are!” A voice called, making them jump. Dean whipped his head around, seeing Sam standing there with a startled expression.  
“What?” Dean glared.  
“Uh, did I interrupt something?”  
“What? No!” Dean stood quickly. “Anyway, what are you doing over here?”  
“It’s time to go.” Sam raised one eyebrow, looking back and forth between him and Cas. “Didn’t you see everyone leaving?” Dean looked at the clock above Cas’ desk, blinking when he realized how long he’d spent talking to Cas.  
“Our apologies, Sam.” Cas walked over to stand next to Dean, nearly brushing his shoulder. “Let’s head back to the motel.” Sam gave them a curious nod before heading down the hall towards the exit, Dean and Cas following behind. Dean glanced over at Cas, who gave him a small smile before looking away. Making their way to the exit, they saw an irritated Bobby standing with his arms crossed, leaning against the door.  
“What took you idjits so long?”  
“They, uh, lost track of time.” Sam answered, smirking slightly. Bobby raised one eyebrow, Dean feeling his face grow warm at the implication. Bobby merely shook his head.  
“Well, don’t let it happen again. I don’t enjoy hangin’ around here longer than I have to.” Dean nodded quickly, praying for an end to the scrutiny.  
“We have new information to discuss, let’s head back.” Cas said, Dean more than happy to oblige. The group got in the car and started home, Cas filling in Sam and Bobby on their discovery of the mark.  
“A mark? What’d it look like.” Sam asked eagerly, Dean taking out the napkin and handing it to his brother. Sam examined the napkin for a few moments, turning it every which way before shaking his head and handing it to Bobby.  
“No clue. I’ve never seen that before.” Sam frowned. Bobby squinted at the napkin, coming up empty too.  
“I can’t make anything of it. Definitely some new territory we’re steppin’ into, boys.”  
“Was it just this woman who had the mark, or did other people have it?” Sam asked.  
“We didn’t see anyone else, but it’s possible. This is the biggest lead we’ve had since we got here, so I wouldn’t rule it out.” Dean said.  
“Well, all we can do is look it up back at the motel.” Bobby said, the brothers and angel all nodding. Soon enough they made it back, Bobby bringing in his books from his room to research with them. Sam parked himself in front of his laptop, while the rest of them cracked open a book, trying to locate the mysterious mark. Dean was finding nada, finding pages after pages of all kinds of signs, except the one he was looking for. Huffing out a huge breath of air, he rubbed his eyes, the long day mixed with the heavy reading making a bad combination on his head. He glanced over at Cas, the angel halfway through his second book already. Damn angels. Which reminded him of what Cas had said this morning, about telling Dean what was bothering him after work, but when was that going to be? After everyone had gone to bed? Or had he only said that to get Dean off his back? He doubted Cas would do something like that. He was their friend. Cas would tell him when he wanted to. In the meantime, he needed to get some air.  
“I’m going out.” Dean announced, shutting the book with a clap while standing. Everyone jumped at the noise, the room having been silent save for the turning of pages and the clicking of Sam’s laptop keyboard.  
“Going out? We still haven’t found out what the mark means!” Sam objected, frowning.  
“Relax, Sammy. I figured I’d make a food run. There’s a burger joint a couple blocks down the street, and I’m starving. And I’d bet the Impala and what’s left in my bank account that the rest of you are too.” As if in agreement, Bobby’s stomach rumbled loudly. “Thought so. Burger for Bobby, burger for me, and…..salad for Sam.” He grumbled when his brother nodded. He looked over at Cas. “And I’m assuming you don’t want anything?”  
“Yes. Do you need help carrying the food?” Cas responded casually, not taking his eyes off the book in his hands. Dean blinked in surprise for a few moments before nodding.  
“Uh, yeah, sure, thanks.” Cas got up, the two beginning the walk to the burger joint side by side.  
“You know, you’re getting to be a pretty good liar.” Dean smirked, knowing it only took two hands to carry back food and a couple drinks.  
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Cas continued to look straight ahead, ignoring Dean’s expression.  
“Uh huh.” Dean continued to walk beside the angel, trying to control the urge to ask him. Patience was not one of Dean’s virtues. But he knew it was better for Cas to tell him on his own. They continued to walk for a few minutes more, the silence dragging on and on. Eventually, Cas stopped walking, Dean stopping beside him.  
“I told you I would tell you what was bothering me.” The angel began. “And I want to, if you still want to hear it.”  
“Cas, of course I do.” He reassured him, giving him his full attention.  
“Back in Heaven, we were never-” Cas suddenly vanished. Dean looked behind him, searching wildly for the angel that had disappeared right in front of his eyes without a single warning.  
“Damn it Cas, this isn’t funny!” He yelled into the night air. But the angel didn’t reappear, and Dean was left there, standing alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, cliffhanger. Sorry not sorry. Hope everyone's having a good day :)


	14. Chapter 14

Cas felt unsteady on his feet, wobbling for balance as he arrived on lush, green grass. Taking in his new surroundings, he stifled a groan at the familiar site. He stood in Heaven, in one of it’s many open, grassy fields. Why was he here? If he’d only been summoned, he would have heard it over what Dean referred to as ‘Angel Radio.’  
Dean.  
What had happened to the hunter? Dean was probably looking for him, trying to figure out where he was. Or worse, Dean thought he had left him. The thought made Castiel clench his hands, imagining Dean standing alone, feeling abandoned.  
“You look upset, Castiel.” A voice said, causing Cas to spin around. Zachariah stood in front of him, his vessel wearing a slimming black suit. He had his hands clasped behind him, smiling stiffly. Zachariah had always had that problem, always wearing a smile that could never quite reach his eyes. But he was still Cas’ superior, and still worthy of respect. He dipped his head low.  
“Yes, Zachariah.” He felt reluctant to mention the reason for his concern, unsure at how he would respond to his concern.  
“Worried about Dean?” Zachariah guessed, beaming at Cas’ surprise. “I thought so. Don’t worry, he’s safe.” He tipped his head, as if listening, “And right now, he’s looking for you.” Cas felt his gut clench. “He appears quite…...concerned.” Zachariah looked him up and down. “As do you.”  
“I was afraid he was in danger. I had no way of knowing who pulled me up here, and if it posed a danger to his safety.”  
“Yes, I am sorry about that.” He frowned sympathetically, walking closer to Cas. “But you and I needed to have a chat. Privately. No time to ring you up formally, I’m afraid.” Cas frowned.  
“What do you want, Zachariah?” He narrowed his eyes, the question coming out more like an accusation. Zachariah raised his brow, before narrowing his eyes.  
“That, that is what I’m talking about.” He pointed at Cas. “What’s been happening to you.” He began walking towards the center of the field, motioning for Cas to follow. Zachariah led him over to the lake, peering down into the water. A picture began to form in the clear blue, a lone figure pacing on the sidewalk. Cas peered closer, and realized it was Dean. Cas could see how agitated he looked, wishing he could return to him, tell him that he hadn’t left him willingly. A touch on his shoulder caused him to jump.  
“Our righteous man is rather fond of you. And that’s where we have a problem.” Cas narrowed his eyes.  
“I don’t understand.”  
“No? Then let me spell it out for you. Me, as well as a few others who’ve been paying attention, have noticed an increasing familiarity between you two. That is my problem.” Cas felt indignation rise up.  
“And how is that your problem?” Cas bit out.  
“Because he is my problem. Because his moose of a brother, is my problem. Because that whole damn planet is my problem!” He yelled. “And certainly, you are my problem. You forget yourself, Castiel. He may call you “Cas”, but you belong to Heaven. To me. You are still under orders, and you will follow them, like the good little soldier you are.” Zachariah let out a sigh, pinching his brow. He gave Castiel another tight smile. “Look. Dean Winchester is necessary to Heaven’s plan. We cannot afford for him to be distracted, by you, or anything else.”  
“I fear that you overestimate my bond with Dean.” Cas replied feebly.  
“Bull. You know as well as I do that you’ve gotten too close. You’re starting to develop intense emotions, emotions that will slow you down, and get everyone around you hurt. Including him.” Cas looked away. “Emotions lead to other emotions, and sooner or later, you’ll find yourself with Doubt.” Cas looked up in alarm. “And trust me…..you don’t want that. To end up like our brother.” Cas felt like he’d been slapped.  
“Touchy subject?” Zachariah smirked. “Well, let’s talk some more.”

* * *

  
“We’ve been looking for half an hour Dean, none of these books are telling us anything.” Sam sighed.  
“Then look harder!” Dean snapped, angrily flipping a page in one of Bobby’s angel books. After Cas had vanished, Dean had rushed back to the motel room in a panic, telling Sam and Bobby about Cas’ sudden disappearance. The three hunters had gotten to work immediately, searching through every book they could think of on angels, which weren’t that many, and trying to find information, of which there was little.  
“What’s that thing you and him were talkin’ about yesterday. When you were keeled over laughing and he had one of those looks on his face.” Dean smiled at the memory, despite the situation.  
“Which face?” Bobby gave him a weighted look.  
“You know, the one he gives only to you.” Dean paused in his reading for a moment, feeling his face grow warm.  
“He was explaining how the angels communicate with each other, like over radio. They can choose which angel they want to talk to, or broadcast it so every angel out there can hear what they’re saying. Why?”  
“Maybe we can hack into it somehow. Or maybe Cas has us hooked up to it already.”  
“In that case, maybe we just have to call him.” Sam stood, looking up towards the ceiling. “Cas, it’s Sam. I don’t know if you can hear me or what, but we need you. We’re kind of freaking out. Please hurry.” Sam looked around, frowning when Cas did not appear.  
“Well that was effective.” Dean rolled his eyes.  
“Cas, come on man.” Sam continued, but still Cas didn’t return. Sam looked over at Dean. “Call him.”  
“We just called him Sammy, he’s not answering.”  
“No, I called him, and he didn’t answer. Maybe he’ll answer you.”  
“Sam-”  
“No Dean, seriously. You two are connected in some way. So quit crying about it and call the damn angel.” Dean glared at his brother for a moment before looking at the ceiling. He opened his mouth to speak when Bobby interrupted him.  
“Maybe phrase it like a prayer.” The boys looked at him strangely. “What? You got a better way?”  
“Bobby, I’ve never prayed a day in my life. What the hell am I supposed to say?”  
“Know any Hail Mary’s?” Dean’s frown deepened. “Alright, alright. Just do whatever.” Dean looked back up top the ceiling, feeling very awkward now that all the attention was focused on him. He didn’t really expect Cas to come flying back from wherever he was just because he was the one to call him. But he’d humor Sam.  
“Castiel,” he began, feeling the full name was necessary in a proper prayer. “We implore you to bring your feathery ass back down here. A speedy response would be very much appreciated.” Dean looked back down, seeing no one else besides a disappointed Bobby and Sam. “See, we don’t have this soul sister connection like you think. I’m sure he-” Dean stopped at the sound of light fluttering behind him, Sam and Bobby’s eyes wide in an almost comical expression. “He’s behind me, isn’t he.” Sam nodded, smirking. Dean spun around, taking in Cas. He looked fine, no damage, no bruises, much to Dean’s relief. He was surprised at how happy he was to see him safe, and how delighted that unsmiling face made him. He smiled, stepping forward to say something when Cas suddenly took a major step back. The mood in the room shifted from a happy homecoming to tense silence. Cas’s expression wasn’t blank, like the angel usually wore it. It was downright cold. As if being here right now was the last place on Heaven and Earth the angel wanted to be.  
“Cas?” Dean said, taking another step forward, but with the same result. “Cas, where were you.” Cas narrowed his eyes, his voice empty.  
“That’s none of your concern.” Dean didn’t know what to say.  
“Uh, yeah it kind of is ‘my concern’, since you’re working with us.” Dean said testily. Cas glared angrily, straightening his shoulders.  
“I serve Heaven. I don’t serve man, and I certainly don’t serve you.” And then he vanished. Dean turned around to look at Sam and Bobby, both of them looking confused and shocked. What the hell had happened? He’d been joking with him all day, asking dumb questions about Batman that any 10 year old kid knew. They’d laughed, and talked about dumb shit, and then there’d been that moment at Cas’ desk. Where they had locked eyes, and glanced at each other’s lips, and been so caught up in it all that they’d lost track of the damn time. If Sam hadn’t walked up right then….who knows. But now, Cas didn’t seem to want anything to do with him.  
“Is he coming back?” Sam finally said, calling back Dean’s attention.  
“How would I know.” Dean rumbled, rubbing a hand over his face. Bobby suddenly yawned loudly, and action Sam repeated. They were all tired. And after that little exchange with Cas, Dean felt absolutely _drained_. He had no idea what was wrong with Cas, or if he’d even ever see him again, but he was certain nothing was going to change tonight. He’d figure out what to do in the morning.  
“Let’s get some sleep.” Dean mumbled, the other hunters giving him sluggish nods. Bobby left for his own room, leaving him and Sam to crawl into their respective beds. Dean switched the light off, flooding the room with darkness. Dean had his back against the mattress, staring up and the ceiling. He closed his eyes, trying to keep himself from thinking about angels, or where they were now, or what could be going on in their culture deprived heads. Eventually Sam punctuated the silence with his name.  
“Dean?” Dean didn’t feel like talking, so he ignored him. “Dean?” Sam repeated, insistent. “Are you asleep?”  
“Yes.” Dean grumbled, throwing an arm across his face.  
“Funny.” Sam snorted. “Do you think he’ll be back tomorrow? For the case?” Dean breathed out slowly.  
“I don’t know.” A few moments passed before Sam said anything else.  
“You miss him.” Dean sat up straight in bed, glaring at his brother.  
“Whoa, when did this become about me!”  
“It’s fine, Dean.” Sam said calmly, ignoring Dean’s outburst. “It’s all fine.” Sam rolled over, facing his back to Dean and pulling the covers over himself. Dean continued to sit up, staring at his brother for a while before reluctantly lying back down. What the hell did that mean, ‘It’s all fine?’. What was fine? Dean flipped himself over onto his stomach, pressing his face into the cool pillow. He let out a deep breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, trying to relax his mind and fall asleep. Not that he liked to fall asleep anymore. Not since Hell. And the nightmares that had come with it. Memories of the torture, the smell of cold sweat and warm blood, first on Dean’s own body, and then on his hands, as he began to torture souls himself. And he had enjoyed it. The knife in his hand, how free he’d felt, away from saving people, and failing while doing it. He never failed at the torture. And it made him hate himself. Dean tried to calm his already rapidly beating heart, knowing he needed the sleep. It couldn’t be avoided. Eventually, he felt himself drift off into an uneasy doze, fully aware of what awaited him.  
Dean was quickly engulfed in the darkness. Hell loomed around him, cold, and filled with the familiar screams. He was on a slab, tied down, a knife looming over him. He tried to scream, but nothing came out, just rough, strangled gasps. Suddenly he felt something touch his forehead, and he jerked his head, knowing pain always followed. But the touch returned, and it wasn’t painful, just a light pressure on his forehead, calm and cool. Dean relaxed, allowing the touch to remain, as Hell drifted away from his vision. He was filled with a warm glow, feelings of happiness and ease replacing the fear and paranoia. The touch left his brow, and Dean found himself lying on warm grass, sun shining down on him from a pale blue sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going on vacation soon, so I won't have much time, if any, to write much. So I thought it'd be better to put out a little bit like last time, instead of just forgetting the whole thing altogether. I am sorry for how late I've been with the past couple, but school is starting soon, and it's made things rather hectic. Thank you for your patience!


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